


It Takes Two

by Aerolumen



Series: Small Things & It Takes Two [2]
Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, pricefield
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-05-20
Packaged: 2019-04-20 00:58:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 174,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14249640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aerolumen/pseuds/Aerolumen
Summary: After executing a bold plan to save both Chloe’s life and Arcadia Bay, Max has returned to find that she succeeded. But joy is mixed with confusion over her previous self’s knowledge, passed on to Chloe, of the now-erased events that led to the storm. The mystery grows as Max and Chloe, who are simply looking to deepen their relationship, uncover clues about the origins of Max’s powers, the meaning of the storm, and the plots and forces working against them.This story is a sequel to Small Things.





	1. Beta Review

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a sequel to Small Things. If you haven't read Small Things, it's definitely best to read that before this. If you have read Small Things, this first chapter offers something of a review of the major events of that story as Max reads through her journal...

 

Chloe sat on the fountain ledge, one leg tucked under her and the other dangling over the edge. A cigarette smoldered in her left hand and she poked at her phone with the other, a lazy smile on her face. Max watched from the top of the steps, leaning away ever so slightly towards the school entrance even though she yearned to rush back to Chloe. After all, from Max's perspective, Chloe had been dead up until less than an hour ago...and they'd only just been reunited.

_ I love that girl _ , Max thought.

She pulled out her camera and took a shot of Chloe, sighing as she retrieved the photo.

_ We went through five days of insanity together and then I went through another four days without her _ , Max thought, shaking the photo and putting it and the camera into her bag,  _ I can wait an hour and a half to be with her again. Then we'll have all the time in the world _ .

She glanced over again and Chloe was staring back, grinning.

"Yo, Max," she said, "I'm totally going to text you while you're in class!"

"You better!" Max called back.

"Don't get caught!" Chloe said.

"I won't! Not with my special tricks," Max said with a sly smile.

"And no emojis!" Chloe said.

Max spun around at that and walked towards the door, calling out over her shoulder, "sorry, couldn't hear you! Bye!"

"There will be consequences for that, Max!" Chloe said, a laugh in her voice.

Max waved and chuckled to herself, stepping into the building as the bell rang.

_ She'll definitely get back at me for that _ , Max thought, smiling.

That thought…

_ It feels almost...normal _ , Max thought.

The idea took Max by surprise...the idea that there might actually be some semblance of normalcy returning to her life...and to Chloe's. She came to a stop in the hall as students began to filter out of classrooms, wandering towards lockers or congregating in small groups. Max felt anxiety bubble up inside and, again, she nearly rushed back to Chloe.

_ What if something happens?  _ Max thought, clutching her elbows,  _ what if I'm not there to stop it. I can't lose her again… _

Max closed her eyes. A deep breath in...let it out. Another.

_ Think about what I have control of _ , Max thought,  _ what I  _ can  _ do...I have control of time. I can change the past. And I just took a photo out there. If something happens, I can use it to go back. _

Max opened her eyes and released her elbows; her shoulders relaxed. She silently thanked Kate...a Kate from a now-vanished timeline.

_ Kate was so amazing _ , Max thought,  _ even though she had so much trouble accepting the time rewinding, she still did everything she could to help me. All of the talks about Chloe...talking about the Dark Room...the breathing exercises. I owe her and Warren so much...it's going to be so strange now with them  _ not  _ knowing about all of this _ .

Max took another deep breath and continued towards her Media Literacy class, intending on making as little contact with others as possible.

_ I used to be very good at that _ , Max thought, rolling her eyes,  _ but with everything from Victoria trying to crush me like a bug to Warren crushing  _ on  _ me, it's hard to disappear into the crowd anymore. Of course, I have a bigger reason to avoid interaction: I still don't know much about what my previous self...selves, I guess...have done over the past week. I really need to read through my journal before I start blabbing...or I'll be rewinding every few minutes to fix my fuck ups _ .

Fortunately, the Victorias and Warrens of Max's life weren't the ones to descend upon her: Max had nearly made it to her classroom when a friendly voice called out, "Max Caulfield!"

Max turned to find Ms. Grant walking towards her.

_ Okay...I missed today's science lab...obviously...hopefully my goodwill with Ms. Grant counts for something...unless my previous selves did something awful _ .

"Hi, Ms. Grant," Max said, "I'm so sorry I missed lab today. It's...been a crazy few days."

_ No lie there _ , Max thought.

Ms. Grant chuckled and said, "I know, Max, I know. With everything that happened last week, I've been going light on lessons for  _ everyone  _ and today's lab was no exception. And of course you were so much closer to those incidents than anyone else, so you certainly get a pass from me. You can make the lab up later or you can just read through the lab section in Chapter 8. As long as you understand the principles, you should be fine. If you have any questions at all, just come find me."

"Thanks, Ms. Grant," Max said, "I'll do that."

"That's great, Max," Ms. Grant said, smiling, "and how is your friend doing?"

"She's doing great!" Max said, grinning, "she's...um...out of the hospital and feeling very well. We've spent a lot of time catching up."

"I heard that you knew her from before," Ms. Grant said, "it's an amazing thing when old friends reconnect. I do hope you'll be a good influence on her. I remember Chloe Price very well," Ms. Grant shook her head, "that girl is very smart...and she threw it all away. I just hope that she gets back on the right track."

"Er," Max said, "she  _ did _ insist that I get to class this afternoon. She specifically said she didn't want me making any of the mistakes she made."

Ms. Grant smiled broadly and said, "I am so glad to hear that. It's good to know that she's encouraging you. Hopefully she'll find her way back to school. She has brilliance in her...she just needs to find something good to use it on."

Max thought back to the Chloe from the alternate timeline, with her incredible grades and fierce desire to learn...so much like the Chloe that Max had known before moving to Seattle.

"I think she has it in her too," Max said, "she was really into science when we were kids and she's always been so creative."

"Good to hear," Ms. Grant said, "now, you'd better get to class. The bell's going to ring any moment."

"Thanks, Ms. Grant," Max said. She began to turn away before remembering something Chloe had mentioned earlier.

"Oh, hold on, Ms. Grant," Max said, reaching into her bag, "I finished the homework."

"You  _ did _ ? With everything that's been going on?" Ms. Grant said, taking the papers from Max, "you are a great student, Max."

Max smiled and thanked Ms. Grant before hurrying into the Media Literacy classroom and winding her way to her typical seat in the back. She sat down and pulled out a notebook and her journal...and put her phone in her lap. She saw that Chloe had already sent a series of messages:

**Chloe** : this fountain isnt comfy  
**Chloe** : finding a new place for my ass  
**Chloe** : benches here r ok  
**Chloe** : if prescotts can donate a building y cant they donate bench cushions  
**Chloe** : random people keep coming up to me  
**Chloe** : congratulating me on not dying  
**Chloe** : morbid  
**Chloe** : but kinda awesome  
**Chloe** : dude you in class yet?  
**Chloe** : huh  
**Chloe** : shared a what's up nod with vicky c  
**Max** : Yep! In class!  
**Max** : Did you seriously just refer to Victoria as Vicky C?  
**Chloe** : hell yeah  
**Chloe** : beta max was not a fan  
**Chloe** : she thinks you can be friends with vicky  
**Max** : Really?  
**Chloe** : yeah  
**Chloe** : bet it's in the journal  
**Chloe** : thought for a sec u might want to trade me for her  
**Max** : WHAT?  
**Max** : No way.  
**Chloe** : I know  
**Chloe** : I got hella proof u want this  
**Max** : :D  
**Chloe** : NO  
**Chloe** : E  
**Chloe** : MOJI!  
**Max** : :(  
**Chloe** : I swear  
**Chloe** : every version of u is the same  
**Max** : And you love it.  
**Chloe** : true  
**Chloe** : mostly  
**Chloe** : so how u getting media literate today

_ That's a good question _ , Max thought,  _ am I going to have to pay attention to this class or can I zone out and read my journal _ ?

Max opened the course folder and pulled out the syllabus. This week's subject was...Dimensions of Social Media Part 2.

_ Well _ , Max thought,  _ if it's anything like Dimensions of Social Media Part 1, it will be a complete snoozefest. Looks like a long lecture followed by playing around with Facebook and shit.  _ Definitely  _ a good opportunity to read my journal _ .

**Max** : Dimensions of Social Media Part 2  
**Chloe** : sounds lame  
**Max** : is lame.  
**Max** : Good for journal reading though.  
**Chloe** : sweet  
**Chloe** : going to skate for a min  
**Chloe** : buzz me if u need anything  
**Max** : Okay!

The bell rang and Mr. Lee came running into the room, eliciting a few chuckles from the class as he tossed his binders onto his desk. Max waited, paying attention as Mr. Lee wrote the day's subject on the board and performed his usual exuberant introduction to the day's subject. Then, as Max expected, he quickly settled into his lecture monotone. As heads began dipping around the room and Mr. Lee became completely focused on the board, Max opened her journal.

She flipped to October 7th, where familiar text stopped and was replaced by the entries of the Chloe-named Alpha Max.

_ I might as well get used to Chloe's nicknames for me and the other versions of me _ , Max thought with a half smile,  _ since it's obvious that she'll keep using them...and that means I shall forevermore be known as G-Max...which is way better than Gamma Max or, ugh, Gammax. _

She paged through Alpha Max's writing, finding herself darkly amused that her previous self had apparently brushed off the vision of the storm as nothing more than a vivid daydream. She was also surprised at just how  _ much  _ her past self had written. Clearly, Alpha Max had taken to journaling as a means to pass the time and record her thoughts as Chloe went through surgery and recovery. It was incredible...and strange...to see herself through this window: Alpha Max had been wracked with such intense fear and guilt...which then turned into explosive joy once the doctors had confirmed that Chloe would recover.

Max smiled as she reached some of first paragraphs on Friday, where Alpha Max admitted that maybe her friendship with Chloe was something more...complicated.

_ Ha _ , Max thought,  _ hit the nail right on the head there, Alpha Max _ .

The transition to Beta Max (Max winced) was obvious. The last few paragraphs on Friday recounted Beta Max's mixed delight and confusion at finding Chloe alive.

Max flipped the page and her eyes widened as she read how her previous self had maneuvered Warren and Brooke into analyzing her time travel powers.

_ Pretending it was all a dream? _ Max thought,  _ clever...although it's totally easier to just tell it straight. Then again...it did take  _ way  _ more effort to convince Warren and Kate than it ever did to convince Chloe _ .

She continued reading, glancing up every few moments to make sure that no one had noticed that she wasn't paying attention to the class. Her caution didn't seem necessary: Mr. Lee hadn't taken his eyes off of the chalkboard and the rest of the class seemed to be caught in a daze. Taylor absentmindedly twirled a pencil while staring into space. Daniel, a few seats over, was drawing something in his notebook. Zachary appeared to be asleep. The other students were similarly distracted or passed out.

Max returned to the journal, finding herself somewhat amused at her previous self's attempts to reason out how Chloe had survived.

_ Nice to know that my efforts generated some mystery for my twin _ , Max thought, chuckling silently.

Her amusement disappeared as she reached the entry describing how the ghostly doe had led Beta Max to eavesdrop on Trevor and Justin. Max sat up straight and her mind spun.

_ What the hell?  _ Max thought,  _ Rachel asked Trevor and Justin to do something for her? Something so secret that they wouldn't tell me anything about it? I...it looks like my previous self's...shit, I'm just going to call her Beta Max...Beta Max's analysis seems legit. If they were happy about being covered by a big thunderstorm, they were probably doing something outside that took a while to do and was out in the open and/or noisy. This must be important...I can't imagine that doe leading me somewhere for no reason. _

Max flipped the page and read through through the description of breaking into Nathan's room and finding the safe in the closet.

_ Ah...that's why her and Chloe were so gung-ho about getting the combination to Nathan's safe _ , Max thought,  _ I'm glad the gun  _ wasn't  _ in his safe...I didn't even know there was a safe there _ .

And then, in the section about driving Chloe's truck up to the hospital…

_ Wait _ , Max thought,  _ I drove Chloe's truck? Wowser, I'm braver than I thought _ .

...to pick Chloe up, Beta Max had copied down the terms of the agreement that her and Chloe had made: Max got to pick a movie to watch that night and got to keep her phone (Chloe had threatened to take it away) in exchange for Chloe getting to pick out an outfit for Max.

_ The terms of this agreement are not particularly favorable to me _ , Max thought.

She turned the page to find Beta Max's record of Chloe's kiss dare. Max's eyes widened and she angled the journal up towards her chest...she was pretty sure no one could see the text but she felt that this kind of information, even more so than time travel, oddly enough, demanded privacy.

_ Wow, I can't believe Chloe did that dare again _ , Max thought, smiling,  _ makes her intentions pretty transparent to a time traveler _ .

The next passage mentioned Beta Max's panic attack over a Dark Room flashback. Max's hands involuntarily crept towards her wrists and she caught herself, pressing her palms to her legs.

_ Looks like Beta Max had to deal with the same shit I do _ , Max thought, stopping to take a few deep breaths as the now-erased Kate had recommended.

She quickly turned the page and a smile returned to her face as she read Beta Max's entry on their time with Joyce and David. The last time Max had seen Chloe's mom and stepfather, it had been only a few days after Chloe's funeral. David had been angry...so hopelessly angry. And Joyce had barely spoken at all...she'd just stared out into space. It had taken a lot of effort on Max's part, along with several rewinds, to get Joyce to even  _ start _ coming out of that dark place. Seeing Joyce like that had been yet another push for Max to change things for the better. And now Max couldn't wait to see Joyce again...to see her smile again.

Just a day before, the whole plan to save Chloe had seemed crazy...impossible even. It seemed guaranteed that rescuing Chloe would cause another storm...or some other disaster.

But it had worked.

She'd committed to it and...

At that moment, the full reality of the situation finally hit Max. She put the journal down, staring blankly across the room, a smile growing wider on her face.

_ Holy shit...I did it _ , Max thought,  _ it...it actually  _ worked _! Chloe's alive, Kate's alive...it sounds like Joyce and David are happy. Nathan's in jail...but he's alive. Jefferson's in jail too and the town wasn't flattened by a tornado. It...it worked. It totally worked. Fucking...wowser. _

An overwhelming sense of joy built inside of her and her smile became so wide that it began to hurt. Adrenaline shot through her and she felt like a kid again, her normally languid-in-class body buzzing with energy. She sat up, her foot tapping the ground and her fingers fidgeting. A temptation grew in her to stand up and shout, which she quickly tried to suppress.

_ Wait _ , she thought, her eyes going wide,  _ why the hell not? _

Max stood up and jumped up onto her seat. The class was so zoned out that only Daniel noticed, glancing over with a surprised expression.

"YES!" Max shouted, throwing her arms up in the air and drawing the attention of the entire room.

Taylor dropped her pencil and Zachary fell out of his chair. Mr. Lee spun around and stared at her, his mouth open.

Max hopped down from her chair and ran over to Taylor, hugging her and saying, "I did it! It worked!"

She laughed and did a shuffling kind of dance over to Daniel, hugging him too. She spun around and bounced back towards her seat, laughing again at the sight of everyone staring at her.

_ Oh my god...am I going crazy? _ Max thought, still laughing,  _ everyone's staring at me...I should be completely mortified right now. And I'm  _ dancing  _ around the room...and...I don't care! It worked and Chloe's alive! _

Stella, sitting in the seat in front of Max, said, "Max, are you...okay?"

Max leaned over and wrapped Stella in a tight hug, saying, "yes! I'm great! And you're okay too!"

"I'm not so sure about that," Stella said, her voice strained as she gently patted Max's back.

Max released her and laughed again, returning to her seat.

The entire class continued to stare at her and Mr. Lee finally spoke up, saying, "um...Miss Caulfield, I'm glad you're feeling so...exuberant. But in the future...please contain yourself until the end of class please."

"Sure, Mr. Lee. It won't be necessary though...I'm just going to erase the whole thing," Max said.

Everyone in the room either tilted their heads, blinked slowly, or raised their eyebrows. Max smiled and rewound.

She watched herself move in reverse around the room, feeling a tinge of heat in her cheeks as she saw her shuffling dance in reverse.

_ Um...I look completely ridiculous _ , she thought, wincing.

She halted the rewind just before she jumped up onto her chair. As time resumed around her, she sat with a lopsided smile: the class was once again fully inhabiting Snoozetown.

_ And that _ , Max thought,  _ I'll be keeping to myself. Well, not  _ completely  _ to myself _ .

She began typing on her phone:

**Max** : You won't believe what I just did.  
**Chloe** : threw a chair at the teacher  
**Chloe** : flashed the whole class  
**Chloe** : pantsed victoria  
**Chloe** : pantsed warren  
**Chloe** : ooh, pantsed the teacher  
**Max** : Wow, you really take it to 11.  
**Chloe** : pantsed wells?  
**Chloe** : yeah that's how I roll  
**Max** : NO I DIDN'T PANTS ANYONE  
**Chloe** : oh ok  
**Chloe** : text yelling is ok too  
**Chloe** : its healthy  
**Chloe** : if ur still angry later and need to express  
**Chloe** : u can pants me  
**Max** : Now I begin to see your strategy  
**Chloe** : no strategy  
**Chloe** : just opportunity  
**Chloe** : so what did u do  
**Max** : It just hit me that everything's okay now  
**Max** : No one's dead and stuff  
**Max** : The whole plan worked!  
**Max** : YOU'RE ALIVE!  
**Chloe** : very true  
**Chloe** : i can confirm it  
**Max** : So I jumped up on my chair and shouted it out.  
**Chloe** : WAIT REALLY  
**Chloe** : thats fuckin hilarious  
**Max** : Then I sort of danced around the room and hugged a bunch of people.  
**Chloe** : dude  
**Chloe** : you're insane in the brain  
**Chloe** : wait u dance?  
**Max** : Ha, no. When I do, it's not pretty. You've seen me dance.  
**Chloe** : no i dont think so  
**Max** : Oh right...original timeline. I'm a terrible dancer.  
**Chloe** : well now u have to promise to dance for me  
**Max** : Ugh  
**Chloe** : if u dont ill pants u  
**Max** : What have I wrought?  
**Chloe** : awesomeness  
**Chloe** : you wroght awesomeness  
**Chloe** : so what the hell happened after you danced  
**Max** : Whole class was staring at me.  
**Max** : Old me would've totally freaked out...but new me just hits the rewind button.  
**Chloe** : dude  
**Chloe** : ur pretty badass  
**Chloe** : wish I saw it  
**Chloe** : reenactment for your girlfriend later  
**Chloe** : oh shit  
**Chloe** : Im sorry  
**Chloe** : g word bad  
**Chloe** : stupid chloe  
**Max** : Chloe!  
**Chloe** : stupid stupid  
**Max** : It's okay!  
**Chloe** : stupid  
**Max** : Not stupid!  
**Max** : Seriously  
**Chloe** : im sorry  
**Chloe** : so awkward  
**Max** : I get it, I really do.  
**Chloe** : hella confusing  
**Max** : Yep :)  
**Chloe** : ill even forgive that  
**Max** : :D  
**Chloe** : becoming less forgiving  
**Max** : :(  
**Chloe** : …

A picture came through of Chloe's hand...with just one finger raised. Max chuckled and decided to do as Chloe would do:

**Max** : Oh, what are you going to do with THAT?  
**Chloe** : whoa!  
**Chloe** : max!  
**Chloe** : right out of left field  
**Chloe** : im so proud  
**Max** : Why thank you.  
**Chloe** : where u at in the story  
**Max** : Um...Saturday night  
**Chloe** : oh cool  
**Chloe** : cant wait til you get to last night  
**Max** : O.o  
**Chloe** : rolling my eyes  
**Chloe** : right now

Max chuckled, put her phone down, and flipped the page, continuing to read through Saturday and Sunday's entries and into Monday. She quietly laughed at Victoria's idea that Max and Chloe might end up as private investigators. She then bolted upright when she read that Chloe planned on going back to school...and that she might get a job. Max reached for her phone so quickly that she knocked it off her desk and onto the floor. The clatter drew the attention of the class.

"Oops," Max said before rewinding. She watched the phone fly back up onto her desk and, once she stopped the rewind, grabbed the phone carefully and began texting:

**Max** : Chloe!  
**Max** : You're going back to school!?  
**Max** : And getting a job!?  
**Chloe** : oh right  
**Chloe** : forgot u didnt know about that  
**Chloe** : yup  
**Max** : That's awesome!  
**Max** : Ms. Grant was just talking about how smart you are.  
**Max** : And how she hoped that you'd go back to school!  
**Chloe** : oh cool  
**Chloe** : i always liked ms grant  
**Max** : She'll be so proud when she finds out.  
**Max** : I'm so proud! You're awesome!  
**Chloe** : dude  
**Chloe** : you're, like, making me emotional  
**Chloe** : now i have to go hide from the skaters  
**Max** : Just think punky thoughts  
**Chloe** : tried that  
**Chloe** : didnt work  
**Chloe** : also i did get a job at the music store  
**Chloe** : going to be kinda awesome  
**Max** : That so amazing Chloe!  
**Max** : You're going to rock it! When do you start?  
**Chloe** : couple weeks  
**Chloe** : i start after a guy leaves  
**Chloe** : you better come visit me  
**Max** : Duh  
**Chloe** : awesomesauce  
**Chloe** : now keep reading  
**Max** : Yes Ma'am  
**Chloe** : damn right

Max settled in to continue reading and found herself struck by one of the next passages:

**Chloe said that I brought her into the real world just enough for her to remember to live life and not coast like a zombie. It was so crazy to hear that since I'd always thought that she was the one who brought me into the real world...just enough to interact with it and not just sit back and observe.**

Max sat back and thought about those words, staring blankly at Mr. Lee as he scribbled on the chalkboard.

_ That's so true _ , Max thought,  _ that's...kind of a foundation of our friendship. I guess we really  _ do _ push each other in the right ways _ .

Max next read the description of Monday's raucous lunch, putting her hand over her mouth to hide her silent laughter...until she reached the revelation that Dana and Juliet had deduced Max and Chloe's mutual attraction. Max blushed and sunk into her seat, even though no one was paying the slightest bit of attention to her.

_ And I promised them I'd give them  _ details _? _ Max thought, fluttering between feelings of amusement and embarrassment,  _ ugh...I guess Chloe and I will have to agree on a set of details before I run into either of them. _

She continued reading, shaking her head, until she read what Beta Max had overheard in the bathroom, causing her to sit up abruptly: Rachel had tasked Dana with hiding an envelope somewhere that had something to do with Max. Chills ran up and down Max's back.

_ What the hell is going on?  _ Max thought,  _ first Rachel's instructions to Justin and Trevor and now  _ this _? Something else is going on here _ .

Max grabbed her phone.

**Max** : What's the deal with Rachel's super secret tasks to people?  
**Chloe** : wait what?  
**Chloe** : oh right  
**Chloe** : no idea  
**Chloe** : we couldnt figure it out  
**Chloe** : put it on the back burner  
**Max** : Maybe we should bring it back to the front burner.  
**Max** : I have a feeling that this could be important.  
**Chloe** : shit  
**Chloe** : like getting shot important?  
**Chloe** : or fucked up tornado important?  
**Max** : I don't know.  
**Max** : I haven't had any crazy visions or anything.  
**Max** : But I just feel like it's important.  
**Chloe** : thats good enough for me  
**Chloe** : if you think its important lets figure it out  
**Max** : You're the best, Chloe.  
**Chloe** : yes yes i am.  
**Max** : These detectives are back on the case!  
**Chloe** : sweet  
**Chloe** : and these detectives will need lotsa breakfast food  
**Max** : :D  
**Chloe** : uggggghhhhh

Max smiled and put her phone down. She returned to the journal and immediately came to a faux-annoyed description of Chloe's dirty jokes via text. Max tilted her head; she began reaching for her phone, itching to find out what Beta Max meant...but then decided to finish the journal before doing that.

She read through the description of their interrogation of Nathan, wincing at Chloe's painful punch to Nathan's face and marveling at how her previous self went through the interrogation nearly two dozen times.

_ And Beta Max didn't get the same kind of practice that  _ I  _ did _ , Max thought,  _ so that must've been hella difficult. And...as for the interrogation itself, I think Beta Max was right...Nathan's behavior sounds super suspicious. Why was he so careful in answering questions about the incident in the bathroom...and why did everything involving his father lead to a roadblock? _

She continued and nearly froze when the journal mentioned Mr. Jefferson. Unpleasant goosebumps prickled on her arms and she found herself tempted to skip over that section...but she pushed through and found herself smiling at what happened.

_ Wow, way to go, Beta Max _ , Max thought,  _ Chloe was right, you really did tear him a new one. Too bad it had to get erased...now I'm seriously tempted to take Chloe up on her offer and go down there for a repeat of this. That would be incredible _ .

She continued reading and her eyes widened when she read what Beta Max had termed the "Chloe Exception" to the Observer Effect. She grabbed her phone.

**Max** : I can teleport in front of you!?  
**Chloe** : dude  
**Chloe** : i laugh my ass off each time u text  
**Chloe** : its so cute  
**Chloe** : every time u find something new  
**Chloe** : and ya  
**Chloe** : you can totally teleport in front of me  
**Chloe** : its hella awesome  
**Chloe** : trippin every time i see it  
**Max** : That's so strange.  
**Max** : Warren and I discovered that I can't teleport when someone's watching.  
**Max** : He said the same thing: Observer Effect.  
**Chloe** : sweet  
**Chloe** : this totally means ive got nerd cred  
**Chloe** : warren and brooke had better watch out  
**Chloe** : new nerd on campus  
**Max** : :D  
**Chloe** : and ud better watch out too  
**Max** : But why can I teleport in front of you and no one else?  
**Chloe** : because im special  
**Max** : How so?  
**Max** : Sorry  
**Max** : That came out wrong.  
**Chloe** : im hurt  
**Max** : Noooo!  
**Max** : Obviously you're super special to ME  
**Max** : The special-est  
**Chloe** : the super specialest?  
**Max** : Yes  
**Chloe** : the super duper specialest?  
**Max** : Duh  
**Chloe** : okay fine  
**Chloe** : but yeah im not sure  
**Chloe** : about the whole teleport thing  
**Chloe** : i thought maybe the weird cylinder thing  
**Chloe** : but this was way before that  
**Max** : What weird cylinder thing?  
**Chloe** : keep reading  
**Chloe** : also wondered if it might be from making out  
**Chloe** : but that was also later  
**Max** : …  
**Chloe** : dont lie you're totally wanting me  
**Chloe** : cant keep that a secret now  
**Max** : …  
**Chloe** : ooh maybe it was the dare  
**Chloe** : u kissed me  
**Chloe** : then boom  
**Chloe** : now u can teleport  
**Max** : I don't know.  
**Max** : Only way to test that would be for me to go around and kiss people…  
**Max** : ...and then try teleporting in front of them.  
**Chloe** : ha  
**Chloe** : dont u dare  
**Chloe** : would be hella funny tho  
**Chloe** : kiss kate  
**Max** : I do NOT want to get smacked in the face with a Bible  
**Chloe** : kiss warren  
**Max** : Don't want Brooke's drone dive-bombing my face  
**Max** : Also, really awkward  
**Chloe** : did u kiss him in ur timeline  
**Max** : No!  
**Chloe** : just asking  
**Chloe** : interesting opportunity  
**Chloe** : have warren cake and om nom Chloe too  
**Max** : I feel like there's a dirty joke in there  
**Chloe** : of course there is  
**Chloe** : ooh kiss victoria  
**Max** : OMG no; so much awkward  
**Chloe** : hmm true  
**Chloe** : cant tell if she'd like it or just slap you  
**Max** : Or both  
**Chloe** : or both  
**Chloe** : jinx  
**Max** : jinx  
**Max** : Dammit!  
**Chloe** : YES  
**Chloe** : kiss Dana  
**Max** : She has a boyfriend! And no!  
**Chloe** : hey u never know  
**Chloe** : she might be totally into it  
**Chloe** : besides u could just rewind  
**Max** : Yeah but then I'd remember all of the extremely awkward kissing  
**Max** : How about I just stick to you when it comes to lip contact  
**Chloe** : i support that  
**Chloe** : exclusive lip contact  
**Chloe** : in more ways than one  
**Max** : Shit  
**Chloe** : its okay max  
**Chloe** : someday ur mind too will have a permanent gutter address  
**Max** : Oh I believe it  
**Max** : Being around you guarantees it will happen.  
**Chloe** : now get back to reading  
**Chloe** : wnat ur reaction to LAST NIGHT  
**Max** : Yes ma'am  
**Chloe** : sweet

Max put her phone down and glanced around, making sure that no one was watching her. Again, her concern was unnecessary: Mr. Lee's monotone lecture continued to cast a haze of drowsiness over the class. Max smiled and returned to her journal, her mouth dropping open after reading a few sentences.

_ Victoria complimented  _ my  _ photography?  _ Max thought,  _ maybe Chloe and Beta Max were right that there's potential for some kind of friendship there. After all, she was pretty nice to me after the funeral. I only saw her a couple of times but it seemed like I was actually seeing the  _ real  _ Victoria. _

She put those thoughts to the back of her mind and continued reading.

She soon reached a line that left her frozen, lingering over the words: Beta Max had written about finding "how to say I love you" in Chloe's search history.

_ Wowser...I wonder if that was about  _ me, Max thought,  _ and...did past me tell Chloe how she...how  _ I  _ feel? And did Chloe say it too? But if they did...wouldn't Chloe have told me? _

She paused, her brow furrowed.

_ Maybe not _ , she thought,  _ that would've been something very personal between her and past me...Beta Max. I...guess I'll find out eventually _ .

She moved on and soon reached Beta Max's description of the raid on the Prescotts' house. As she read, she found herself creeping to the edge of her seat, hunched over the journal. The description of Sean Prescott's study gave Max shivers...but also left her intensely curious about what secrets could be hiding there. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise at the pleasant description of Nathan's apartment.

She shook her head, turned to the next page, and her face began reddening immediately. Beta Max's description of the dip in Nathan's hot tub had managed to detail what seemed like every little thought and sensation she'd had...including the point at which Beta Max had desperately wanted to kiss Chloe but couldn't quite get up the nerve to do so.

Max read quickly and turned to the next page, silently thankful that if someone did happen to notice what Max was reading, she could rewind her way out of it.

As Chloe had promised, Beta Max had included a description of a wooden cylinder, covered in symbols disturbingly familiar to Max, that they'd found in a safe in Nathan's apartment. It was some kind of artifact gifted by his father...and it gave Beta Max and Chloe a shock when they both touched it.

_ How strange _ , Max thought, scratching her head,  _ there are so many mysteries around the Prescotts. I get the feeling that they're...involved in all of this somehow. _

Max turned the page and read rapidly through Beta Max's description of the escape from the Prescotts' house, amazed and proud of her past self for figuring out how to get out without having to use a backup photo. She cringed when she realized how much of a headache her past self must have had after so many rewinds.

She flipped the page and was met by a large number of colorful hearts drawn on the corners of the pages.

_ Huh? _ she thought.

She began reading the text and quickly slammed the journal closed, her face turning a deep shade of red. She glanced around, wanting to be absolutely certain that no one was looking her way...rewind or not, she wasn't sure she could handle someone reading  _ this _ . She slowly opened the journal again and found the page with the hearts, holding the journal up to hide it from the possibility of prying eyes.

She continued to read, finding herself captivated. Beta Max had recorded a tremendous amount of detail in her description of the...events after the raid. The thoughts, the feelings, the sensations...the narrative had Max simultaneously embarrassed, delighted, and excited in ways that were particularly uncomfortable when sitting in a classroom. She crossed her legs and flipped the page to find even more details. Her palms were becoming sweaty and she leaned into the journal, hungrily taking in every word.

"Max!" a voice called out and Max jolted upright, slamming the journal closed.

"Yes, Max, you," Mr. Lee said, pointing at her.

"Uhhh," Max said, horrified.

"Do you know what the first social media site was and when it launched?" he said.

Max glanced around; most of the class had emerged from its stupor and was staring at her. She felt as if the words of her journal were printed all over her face and had to reassure herself that no one could tell what she'd just read...or what she was thinking...or what she was feeling. She cursed her bad luck, guessing that Mr. Lee had decided to ask a random question...and had landed on Max.

Max cleared her throat and said, "um...MySpace? In...um...2000?"

_ Ancient history _ , Max thought.

"No, but you're not that far off," Mr. Lee said. He seemed to not care that Max had been reading her journal.

_ Maybe reading is a step up from the zombified state that most of the room is usually in _ , Max thought.

"Does anyone else know?" he asked to the class, "No? It was a site called Six Degrees and it arrived on the scene in 1997. Users could establish a profile and make friends with others on the site. MySpace, as Max mentioned, launched in 2003. Another early site was Friendster from 2002, which was eclipsed by MySpace the next year."

Mr. Lee returned to the chalkboard to describe features of early social media sites and the fog of drowsiness began to descend yet again over the room.

_ I wonder if I should rewind and answer that question correctly? _ Max thought,  _ or maybe just avoid getting caught reading? _

She watched as her neighbors began to nod off and thought,  _ nah...not really worth it. _

She quietly opened her journal again and found the page she'd been on, biting her lip as she read the rest of the entry about last night. The page ended with what struck Max as an adorable description of the morning...er, afternoon...just a few hours ago before Beta Max and Chloe left for the Two Whales. She smiled and turned the page: no more entries. Chloe had already filled her in on what happened after.

Max sat still for a moment, taking in everything that had happened.

_ Chloe and Beta Max had a pretty wild time _ , Max thought,  _ I'm...kind of jealous. But...I can't complain that I now get to make my own new memories with Chloe. _

Max pulled out her phone. She drummed her fingers on her desk for a moment. She wasn't quite sure what to say about last night so she decided to just start texting and see what would happen:

**Max** : Just finished!  
**Chloe** : aaaaand?  
**Max** : Past me was VERY detailed in describing last night  
**Chloe** : who?  
**Chloe** : don't u mean  
**Chloe** : BEAT MAX?  
**Chloe** : shit  
**Chloe** : no  
**Chloe** : BETA MAX!?  
**Max** : Rolling my eyes.  
**Max** : But yes, Beta Max described everything in so. Much. Detail.  
**Chloe** : aaaand?  
**Max** : She also drew a ton of hearts on those pages.  
**Chloe** : omg thats adorable  
**Chloe** : aaaaaaaand?  
**Max** : I think I may need to get a new pen; the ink seems a little inconsistent.  
**Chloe** : ur killing me here  
**Max** : Okay fine  
**Max** : I was about as red as a tomato while reading it.  
**Max** : My eyes were wide  
**Max** : Like this: O.O  
**Chloe** : grrrr  
**Max** : I was hunched over and reading very quickly with the pages turned up so no one could see  
**Max** : And I was experiencing sensations very inappropriate for a classroom.  
**Chloe** : ooh  
**Chloe** : saxy maxy gettin the hots!  
**Max** : O.o  
**Max** : Also, have to admit, I'm a bit jealous  
**Chloe** : naturally  
**Chloe** : it was pretty fucking awesome  
**Chloe** : but like i said  
**Chloe** : we can take it slow as you want  
**Chloe** : after all  
**Chloe** : we only met like 1 hour ago  
**Chloe** : kind of  
**Max** : :P  
**Chloe** : hate  
**Max** : No you don't  
**Chloe** : ya  
**Chloe** : i dont  
**Max** : Oh hey, give me a few minutes. I want to go back and look at our old texts.  
**Max** : Past me said there's some funny stuff there.  
**Chloe** : who?  
**Max** : sigh  
**Max** : Beta Max  
**Chloe** : totally, G

Max scrolled up to the top of her messages with Chloe and started reading. Within the first few texts, she was chuckling quietly under her breath. At several points, she had to clamp her hand over her mouth to prevent a laugh from escaping. She finally failed and snorted loudly at one particularly brazen text from Chloe and Stella turned around, annoyed. Max winced and rewound, managing to make it to the end of her text history without any further audible reactions.

**Max** : Dude, your texts are hilarious  
**Max** : And so dirty  
**Chloe** : oh yes  
**Chloe** : imma artist

Moments later, Mr. Lee startled the class out of its stupor by announcing the transition to lab time. He began handing out sheets with lists of social media-related tasks to perform and record. Max quickly texted Chloe that she'd be incommunicado just before Mr. Lee reached her.

The class slowly rumbled to life, with many students stretching as they stood and trying to stifle yawns. With Mr. Lee leading the way, they began filing out towards a computer lab.

Max lingered to pack her bag. The classroom was nearly empty when she hoisted her bag onto her shoulder and walked quickly towards the door. However, movement caught her eye. She stopped and turned to the windows, seeing a pair of branches swaying just outside. At that moment, she felt a curious and unpleasant sensation: chills that seemed to radiate into her heart. She shuddered...and yet the sensation reminded her of something...something that she couldn't quite place. She shook her head and hurried out of the room.

_ That was weird _ , she thought, dismissing the feeling as she scrambled to catch up to the rest of the class.

**. . . . .**

When the end-of-day bell rang, Max had finished nearly all of the lab tasks. Mr. Lee announced that any remaining lab tasks were to be done as homework. Groans echoed from several portions of the lab and Max was glad that she'd worked so diligently. After all, if she hadn't focused on the work, her thoughts would have constantly been on Chloe.

And now? Max quickly packed her bag with a wide grin on her face; the day was done and she could finally hang out with Chloe.


	2. Reacquainting

Max's heart fluttered with anticipation as she stepped out into the bustling hall. She pulled out her phone:

**Max** : Hey Chloe, class is done!  
**Chloe** : YES  
**Max** : But I have to pee first.  
**Chloe** : go fast  
**Chloe** : must have max

Max hurried into the empty bathroom and stopped for a moment just inside, looking down to the floor. It was barely noticeable: a large, slightly off-color stain on the floor.

_ I guess Samuel wasn't able to fully clean the blood away _ , Max thought, her heart aching.

She'd spent longer than she cared to remember standing in this bathroom, staring at that spot. But now she shook those thoughts away; there was no reason to dwell on this spot anymore...and she really had to pee.

She picked a stall and, based on Beta Max's journal entries, half expected someone to enter the bathroom and start talking about the Prescotts or Rachel or buried treasure or something. However, as other students wandered in, Max only caught snippets of normal, everyday gossip.

Max sighed, thinking,  _ no help with mysteries from bathroom visitors today _ .

She glanced down to the floor and something caught her eye. She stared at her underwear, tilted her head, and raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?" she said aloud. She pulled her phone out of her pocket.

**Max** : Hey Chloe  
**Chloe** : yo  
**Max** : Maybe a weird question…  
**Chloe** : did u get stuck  
**Chloe** : need help?  
**Max** : No  
**Max** : Do you own a pair of blue underwear with snowmen printed on them?  
**Chloe** : yeah!  
**Chloe** : my frosty panties  
**Chloe** : why?  
**Max** : Why am I wearing them?  
**Chloe** : ur pastel underwear got all wet last night  
**Max** : Um...what?  
**Chloe** : oh man  
**Chloe** : i really wish i hadn't promised beta max that i wouldnt tell prank stories  
**Chloe** : so much fun could be had with this  
**Chloe** : damn  
**Chloe** : okay fine the truth  
**Chloe** : it was the hot tub  
**Max** : Oh! Duh!  
**Chloe** : you didnt bring spare underwear so u borrowed mine  
**Max** : Why did you have spare underwear during the raid?  
**Chloe** : oh  
**Chloe** : no  
**Chloe** : afterwards when we got back to my place  
**Chloe** : before we totally made out  
**Max** : Ah, got it :)  
**Max** : So we did that entire escape in wet underclothes?  
**Chloe** : yep  
**Max** : Damn  
**Chloe** : r u finished yet?  
**Chloe** : u take a long time to pee  
**Max** : Shit, sorry. Got distracted by the snowmen underwear.  
**Max** : On my way out now! Where are you?  
**Chloe** : out front  
**Chloe** : turn left

Max hurriedly washed her hands and walked quickly to the front of the building. She stepped outside and blinked into the sunlight. Knots of Blackwell students milled about in front of the school. She noticed Brooke's drone hovering above and saw Warren at the controls nearby...with Brooke fidgeting and peering over his shoulder.

Max stepped forward and took the stairs down two at a time, becoming aware of a sensation that hadn't quite caught her attention before.

_ Ugh _ , she thought, wrinkling her nose,  _ I feel... _ grimy... _ when the hell did I last take a shower? _

Max cringed and turned to the left...where the sight of Chloe lounging on a bench drove the rest of her thoughts away. Max suppressed the urge to sprint over like a maniac, managing to pace herself to a casual walk. Chloe looked up as Max approached; her face lit up with a beaming smile and she leapt to her feet.

Max stopped in front of Chloe.

"Hi," Chloe said, staring at Max with bright eyes.

Max immediately wrapped her in a tight hug, laughing loudly.

"What's funny?" Chloe asked, wrapping her arms around Max's shoulders and resting her cheek on the top of Max's head.

"Right now? Everything," Max said, grinning and pressing her face into Chloe's shoulder, "I'm still completely tripping on the fact that you're okay. You're actually  _ okay _ ...it's...it's just so amazing to have you back. That...sounds lame. There aren't really any words for it. I...I just missed you  _ so _ much."

"You know...that reminds me," Chloe said quietly, "for the longest time I had...a pretty damn specific idea of what would happen if we ever saw each other again. Um...after you left Arcadia Bay, I mean. I was way hella wrong."

"You mean you  _ didn't _ anticipate getting shot and helping discover time travel?" Max said.

"Shockingly, no," Chloe said, chuckling, "I always figured I'd be super mad at you at first. Like, yelling at you and stuff...I...I thought I'd want to just let it all out on you...which...is kind of messed up…"

"But understandable," Max whispered.

"...nah, I never wanted to admit it...but I knew I wouldn't be  _ that _ angry...not at you," Chloe continued, "and whenever I thought about it...you know, seeing you again...I figured that after I let off some steam...and as long as you didn't turn around and walk away because of it," Max hugged Chloe tighter, "we'd be back to hanging out and goofing off...and hell, maybe you'd be up for kissing me."

"If you dared me?" Max said.

"Yup," Chloe said.

"Well, it sounds like you were kind of right about a lot of it," Max said.

"Other than, like you said, getting shot...and the time travel...and the doom tornado," Chloe said.

"I guess we'll just have to work on your future predicting powers," Max said.

"Dude, that would be so fucking sweet," Chloe said, releasing Max and holding her shoulders, "seeing the future? Shit, I'd've never gotten shot. And I'd totally have  _ predicted  _ us making out instead of just fantasizing about it. And speaking of crazy stuff, did you really stand up on your chair? In class? And dance around like a maniac?"

"Yeah...I did," Max said, smiling sheepishly, "I've found that awkward things become so much more possible when you can just rewind them away."

"I would abuse that power so much," Chloe said with a lopsided grin.

"Oh, don't I know it," Max said.

"So, now that you're finally free, what you wanna do?" Chloe said.

"Er, honestly, I feel kind of gross," Max said, suddenly self conscious and taking a small step back from Chloe, "when was the last time I...er...Beta Max took a shower?"

"Ah, so that's what that smell is," Chloe said, her lips twitching.

"Hey!" Max said, smacking Chloe's arm.

"Just kidding," Chloe said, "you smell fine to me."

"Maybe that's because  _ you _ smell," Max said.

"Shit, I probably do," Chloe said, "I haven't showered since yesterday...morning? Yeah. Same with you, I guess. And that was before interrogating Nathan, verbally bitch-slapping Jefferson, breaking into and out of Fort Prescott, and, oh yeah, almost forgot, the hella make out session. So yeah...um...I feel pretty gross too."

"Then before we go, I need to take a quick shower...and change," Max said.

"Shit," Chloe said, her face falling, "does that mean you're leaving me alone again?"

"Absolutely not; no way," Max said, "I'm totally dragging you along with me."

"Max!" Chloe said, her face lighting up, "ooh la la. I didn't realize you'd want to get all soapy together so soon. Splish splash to a whole new level."

Max put her hands on her hips.

"I  _ meant  _ that I'm going to drag you into the dorms and have you stand  _ outside _ the shower," Max said, trying as hard as she could to look incredulous.

"You know," Chloe said with a grin, "this is the second time you've made it sound like you're up for group showers."

"I don't even want to know," Max said.

Chloe opened her mouth to respond but her gaze was drawn over Max's shoulder.

"Uh oh," Chloe said, "Dana alert."

"Oh shit," Max said, "I promised her I'd tell her what happened with us, didn't I? Quick, what's our story?"

"Threesome with Victoria," Chloe said.

"Chloe!" Max said.

"Okay, how about this: we skinny dipped in the pool last night. We could invite her to come with us next time and see how she reacts," Chloe said.

"You are  _ crazy _ ," Max said.

"Okay, seriously though," Chloe said quietly, "I'm thinking the truth. Er...kind of. How about: we didn't make out...but we know that we have the hots for each other?"

"Sounds good to me," Max said with a smile.

"Hey, Max. Hey, Chloe," came Dana's voice.

Max turned around.

"Hi, Dana, how are you?" Max said.

"Great! How about  _ you _ ?" Dana said, looking pointedly between Max and Chloe.

Max smiled and grabbed Chloe's hand. Chloe's eyes widened in surprise but she smiled and squeezed Max's hand back.

"Pretty good," Max said, winking.

Dana squealed and jumped forward, wrapping both Max and Chloe in a tight hug.

"Yes yes yes," Dana said, "I am so happy for you; you are  _ so  _ adorable!"

She released them and stepped back, practically bouncing on her feet.

"So," she said, "what's the dirt? Any fireworks yet?"

"Not yet...but Fourth of July's got  _ nothing  _ on the show we'll have," Chloe said.

Max blushed.

"Nice... _ very _ nice," Dana said, "and does this mean you'll be coming to the Halloween party together? Going to coordinate? Oh my goodness I hope you coordinate."

"Er," Max said, looking at Chloe, "I  _ think  _ so. We're definitely coming but I haven't really thought much about it yet."

"Well if you need any help, please please please ask," Dana said.

"I promise we will," Max said.

"And…," Dana said, smiling slyly, "I guess we really  _ should _ leave you two alone at the drive in."

"Yeah, we're gonna be all over each other," Chloe said.

"Well  _ I  _ won't be snooping since Trevor and I will  _ also  _ be all over each other," Dana said with a grin.

"Awesome...just make sure you don't send Kate," Chloe said.

"Oh yeah, no, we won't do that," Dana said, her eyes wide.

Max smiled and shook her head.

"Anyways, like I said, if you guys need any help with costumes for the party or anything, you know where to find me!" Dana said, stepping away.

"Of course," Max said, "see you later!"

Dana skipped away towards the dorms.

"Damn," Chloe said, "she really  _ is _ into the Max-Chloe thing."

"Yep," Max said, "it's kind of adorable. Apparently Juliet is too...although maybe not quite as...enthusiastically."

"I totally understand," Chloe said, nudging Max, "I'm pretty into this Max-Chloe thing too."

Max grinned.

"Oh hey," Max said, starting towards the dorm and pulling Chloe along with her, "what movie are we seeing at the drive in? The journal didn't say."

"Back to the Future," Chloe said with a smirk.

"Fuck," Max said, "are you kidding?"

"Nope," Chloe said.

"Huh, well I do love that movie," Max said, "but...I mean...I feel conflicted."

"You know, you really don't have to pay attention to the movie at all," Chloe said.

"Wait why wou...oh," Max said, seeing Chloe's expression.

**. . . . .**

Max stepped into a shower stall and Chloe leaned on the wall next to the curtain. Max slid the curtain closed and as she began to undress, Chloe chuckled.

"What's funny?" Max said.

"Just remembering something I threatened Beta Max with," Chloe said.

"Oh no," Max said, putting the snowman underwear atop the pile of her dirty clothes.

"She said...hmm...I guess you would've said it too...that showers are super relaxing and a time to let go and do hipster meditation or whatever," Chloe said, "so I said I'd have to sneak up and jump you while you're in the shower."

"Oh, please don't," Max said, turning the water on.

"Okay, I promise I won't...today, that is," Chloe said, "the future though? I promise nothing."

Max groaned from beneath the water, creating a gurgling sound.

"What do you want to do tonight?" Chloe said, staring at her nails with her lips pursed to the side, "we have all of the time in the world now. And damn, we can do whatever the hell we want!"

"Well, I'm not ready to conquer the world quite yet," Max said, "so I was thinking something really chill."

"I can go with that," Chloe said, "there's always tomorrow to conquer the world."

"True story," Max said, rubbing shampoo into her hair.

"How about a movie? You can come over to my place, have dinner, and we can chill on the couch," Chloe said, "besides, I think my mom pretty much expects you to stay over."

"Does that have anything to do with her maybe probably knowing about...us?" Max said, feeling a sensation of butterflies in her stomach with that last word.

"Maybe a little," Chloe said.

Max groaned again.

"I find this whole thing hilarious," Chloe said.

"Of course you do," Max said, "I'm just not used to...anyone paying much attention to me. I always just faded into the background. Now it seems like everyone's interested in my personal life. It's...really different and...I'm not sure I'll ever get used to it."

Max began washing her face.

"Yo, Victoria," Chloe said and Max froze.

"Hi…," came Victoria's voice, "um...what are  _ you  _ doing in here?"

"Max is in the shower," Chloe said.

"Really," Victoria said dryly.

"Hey, wait!" Chloe said.

Max heard the shower curtain jerk open and she spluttered.

"Victoria!" Max yelled.

The shower curtain jerked closed.

"She  _ is _ in there," Victoria said, "good to know you're not just hanging around in the dorm for no reason, Chloe. And, by the way, cute butt, Max."

Max blushed furiously and called out, "what the  _ hell _ , Victoria!"

"Yeah, Victoria," Chloe said, "how the hell do  _ you  _ get to see Max's ass before I do?"

Victoria laughed, "I don't see what the big deal is. And why would you care if I...wait a second. Are you…? Holy shit you  _ are _ . Ha! Why the fuck aren't you in there with her?"

"I...um," Chloe said. Max found herself at a complete loss for words.

"Besides, unless someone actually sees you coming out of there, you'd get away with it  _ completely _ . A lot easier than trying to sneak into the guys' showers, trust me," Victoria said.

"Shit...um...Max?" Chloe said.

"This is so precious. I can't believe it," Victoria said, chuckling, "Chloe, would you like me to describe Max's ass to you or just open the curtain for you to take a look?"

"Max! I'm really hoping you're going to rewind this," Chloe said.

"What do you mean b…," Victoria started.

"Yes, yes I am!" Max said, raising her hand and rewinding. She watched the curtain, waiting until it slid open to show Victoria's smirking face. The curtain closed and Max waited a few more moments before stopping.

"...is in the shower," Chloe said.

Max hurried to the curtain and poked her head out.

"Hi, Victoria," Max said.

"Hello, Max," Victoria said, frowning, "I didn't realize that people had...conversations like this."

"We're trendsetters," Chloe said.

Victoria snorted and walked over to the sink to apply something to her face.

"So, let me guess," Victoria said without turning around, "you'll both be spending your evening taking selfies in front of jukeboxes and rusted cars?"

Chloe opened her mouth to respond but Max spoke first.

"Actually, we're going to watch a movie at Chloe's place," Max said, "want to join?"

Chloe's head snapped towards Max, an expression on her face that clearly said, "are you fucking insane!?"

Max mouthed, "trust me."

Victoria stood motionless in front of the sink.

She finally said, "no...but...thanks for the invite. Have a good time."

She walked out.

"Whoa, G," Chloe said, "you're a wizard. Did you rewind to do that?"

"Er, I did have to rewind, but not for that," Max said. She described what Victoria had done the first time around.

"Are you  _ kidding _ ?" Chloe said, "that was fucking  _ bold _ . I'm telling you, I think she wants dat ass...and now I know you've got a cute one." She winked and Max ducked back behind the curtain with a groan.

Chloe laughed.

"Well, even if she does want...dis ass, she's getting friendzoned," Max said.

"Mad Max, laying down the law," Chloe said, "so what's up with the 'be nice to Vicky' stuff?"

"Er, let me finish my shower first," Max said.

"Good idea," Chloe said, "if you're in there too much longer, I'm going to be taking a prune home."

Max quickly finished showering and jutted her arm out of the stall as soon as she'd finished toweling off.

"Clothes, please," she said.

Chloe put clothing in her hand and she pulled it in.

"Chloe," Max said, "you only handed me underwear and a shirt."

"You foil  _ all  _ of my plans, Bat Max," Chloe said. Her arm appeared in the shower holding the rest of Max's clothes. Max snatched them and dressed.

They stopped at Max's room briefly for Max to grab some extra clothes before heading out towards Chloe's truck. Max grabbed Chloe's hand as soon as they stepped out of the building. Chloe smiled and walked a little closer to Max, holding her hand tightly.

"So," Chloe said, clearing her throat, "about Victoria...did you really want her to come watch a movie with us?"

"No, I would have been super surprised if she'd said yes...and then I would've rewound," Max said, "I'm not going to interrupt our time together, especially now."

Chloe grinned.

"Anyways, the journal gave me an idea for Victoria," Max continued, "I think I'm going to try to sort of...chip away at the wall of bitchiness that Victoria keeps around herself. It sounded like past me…"

"Beta Max," Chloe said.

"...insert groan here...fine, Beta Max," Max continued, "talked with Kate, Dana, and Juliet about this and they were all going to try to be nice to her. I think a more...active approach might work a little better. And she really isn't as bad as she projects...I know that for sure. And as even more evidence, the journal mentioned that she went and apologized to Kate...and broke down crying."

"Shit," Chloe said, "would not have expected that."

"Hence, Operation Victory," Max said.

"Did you just come up with that?" Chloe said. Max nodded and Chloe continued, "it should be Operation Gooey Center instead."

"Huh?" Max said.

"Because you're breaking through her hard outer shell to get to the gooey center," Chloe said.

"Hmm, I like it...Operation Victory is now Operation Gooey Center," Max said.

"Going to coordinate with Kate and them to epic smash that wall?" Chloe said, an eyebrow raised.

"Ugh, that's too much work," Max said, "I want to do nothing but hang out with you and take photos. Turns out that I'm kind of lazy."

"Well, I'm the queen of lazy so let's laze together," Chloe said.

"Yes," Max said, "and if Operation Gooey Center doesn't produce any results by...I don't know...Halloween or so, then I'll work with others on it."

"Awesome," Chloe said. They'd reached her truck and, after reluctantly releasing Max's hand, Chloe walked around to the driver's side and climbed in.

Max got into the passenger side and said, "one thing though: Operation Gooey Center may fail if  _ someone  _ calls her Vicky C. to her face."

"I have no idea what someone you may be referring to," Chloe said.

Max smiled as they drove into town.

_ It  _ would _ be nice to get past Victoria's wall _ , Max thought,  _ after all, her whole world has been up-ended by everything that's happened with Nathan and Mr. Jefferson...and I know that she's way more insecure than she seems. She could use some real friends...not just Vortex Club cronies. But in the end, that's up to her. My priority is this crazy blue-haired girl here. And _ , her expression darkened,  _ all of this stuff about Rachel and the Prescotts is a little concerning...it seems like something else is going on here. But...ugh, I don't want to think about that right now. It can wait until tomorrow _ .

As she stared out the window, her gaze fell to the side-mirror and she stared lazily at a grey car behind them. Chloe turned onto Pine and the grey car turned behind them. A minute later, Chloe turned onto 5th and the car followed again. Max's brow furrowed.

_ That's weird...maybe it's just a coincidence...but I'm pretty sure that car was also parked a few spots away from us up at Blackwell when we left _ , Max thought.

"Hey, Chloe?" Max said.

"Yup?" Chloe said.

"You see that car behind us; the grey one?" Max said.

"You mean the one that's been following us since we left Blackwell?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said, "um...you think they're really following us?"

"Pretty sure," Chloe said, "that same car was behind us this morning when Beta Max and I came up from the Two Whales. I didn't think too much of it then but now that it's behind us again…?"

"Think we should try to lose them?" Max asked.

"In this thing?" Chloe said, "we'd be lucky to lose a kindergartener on a tricycle. Besides, if they've been following us since this morning, they probably know where I live."

"You don't sound too worried," Max said, looking again at the car behind them.

"I'm a little concerned...not gonna lie," Chloe said, "but hey, I doubt they know they're following a time wizard."

"Hopefully," Max said.

"Oh, don't say that. That would imply  _ bad  _ things," Chloe said, "besides, maybe she just saw last night's makeout session and wants some tips."

Max punched Chloe in the leg.

Chloe turned onto Cedar and pulled up to her house. The grey sedan continued by them without slowing, disappearing around the next corner. Max caught a glimpse of the driver: a woman with red hair.

"Maybe it was just a coincidence," Max said.

"Maybe," Chloe said.

"Should we tell David about it?" Max said.

"Er, let's hold off on that," Chloe said, "Step-David's got one hell of a paranoid streak. He might overreact."

"Good point," Max said.

They entered the house; no one else was home yet.

"Maybe they're insurance adjusters or something...maybe for your truck?" Max said.

"That would be hella surprising," Chloe said, "if someone was interested in my truck, they'd have to be scouting for antiques...or for post-apocalyptic movie props."

"Would you sell the truck? As a movie prop or something?" Max said as they climbed the stairs.

"For hella cash to buy an RV? Sure," Chloe said.

They entered Chloe's room and Max smiled at the now-familiar sight...a sight that felt far brighter with Chloe in the room. Helping go through Chloe's things after the funeral had been...bad... _ really _ bad. She shook her head and brought her thoughts back to the present.

"Oh right...RV," she said, "I completely forgot that that was on your...our radar. It would be so fun to just roam the roads together. Although...it might get a bit cramped."

"I think we'd be okay," Chloe said, "neither of us has too much stuff."

"We'd be sharing a bedroom," Max said.

"Dude, we already sleep in the same bed," Chloe said, "and that was before, well, you know," Chloe nudged Max's arm, "speaking of which," she dropped down onto the bed, "this is totally where all of the action happened!"

Max laid down next to Chloe and smiled.

"It's so crazy," Max said, "to think that there have been different versions of you...different versions of me...and that I was here, last night, with you...and yet I wasn't."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Chloe said, snorting.

They lay silently for a minute, listening to birds chirping outside.

"Oh hey," Chloe said, "Beta Max and I sort of made...future plans. They're...um...do you want to know?"

"Yeah, of course!" Max said.

"Well, the idea was that you'd go to school and I'd follow you around like a groupie to be your bodyguard...while taking classes and odd jobs...and then we do travel photography and adventuring! And...um...the backup plan was Vicky C.'s snarky idea that we become Private Investigators. So...what do you think?"

Max chuckled and said, "I am totally on board with that...one hundred percent. Beta Max wrote all of that down in the journal and drew a picture of a globe and camera on one side and you and I with trenchcoats and sunglasses on the other."

"Were we wearing anything under the trenchcoats?" Chloe said, grinning.

"The answer to that might drastically change the intended career choice there," Max said.

"Ah...didn't think that through," Chloe said, "but...hmm...if it was just us...you know, I'm totally up for role-playing. So if we don't choose to be PIs in real life, we can always be PIs in the bedroom."

Max buried her face in the nearest pillow to hide her blush, groaning.

Chloe patted her on the arm and said, "it's okay, Max. If PIs aren't your thing, we can always do pirates...arr, give me yer booty!"

Max hefted the pillow and hit Chloe on the shoulder with it.

Chloe laughed and said, "or a naked pillow fight! That would be hella sweet."

Max rolled towards Chloe and brought her fingers to Chloe's sides, tickling her.

"No! No!" Chloe cried out, laughing uproariously.

"Ha!" Max said, "good to know that  _ this _ still works."

When Max finally gave in to Chloe's pleas to stop, she was kneeling right above Chloe. Chloe grinned, her eyes sparkling, and Max started to lean down towards her…

The front door below opened and then closed loudly and both Max and Chloe jumped. Max found herself blushing again and Chloe stared at her with a sly smile.

"Chloe! I'm home!" came Joyce's voice from below.

"Thanks, mom," Chloe said quietly, "way to kill the mood." She winked at Max.

"Is Max here?" Joyce called out.

"Yep!" Chloe yelled back.

"Well then both of you come down here!" Joyce said.

Max stood and Chloe held an arm up.

"Yo, help me up, Max. All of that tickling has made me horrendously weak and unbalanced," Chloe said.

Max pulled her up. Chloe stood directly in front of Max and bent down, kissing Max gently on the nose.

Chloe stepped away to the door, saying, "come on, Max, now we get to experience my mom being super obnoxious. She'll make it extremely obvious that she knows about us without actually  _ saying  _ it."

Max stood for a moment, the sensation of Chloe's lips lingering on her nose.

"Yo, G, you okay? Did I break you?" Chloe said.

"Er, yeah, just a little bit," Max said.

"Oh, I can fix that," Chloe said, walking back over and kissing Max on the nose again.

"There," Chloe said, "fixed."

Max grinned and followed Chloe downstairs.

**. . . . .**

They found Joyce stacking magazines on the dining room table and she turned to them as they entered.

"Staying over again, Max?" Joyce said with a smile.

"If it's okay," Max said. She had become used to being careful and gentle with her words around Joyce...a habit that would probably take a little while to break, even though her heart now soared at the sight of Joyce's smile.

"Of course!" Joyce said, "David and I love having you here; not as much as Chloe does, of course."

Max and Chloe shared a look as Joyce walked over to a bag on the counter.

"Oh here, Chloe," Joyce said, pulling a bouquet of flowers out of the bag, "I picked these up on the way home; thought they looked real nice."

She handed the flowers to Chloe and tilted her head towards Max before walking into the kitchen. Chloe held the flowers at arms length, an eyebrow raised. Max put her hands on her hips and smirked, trying not to laugh.

"Hey, Max," Chloe said loudly, "would you like some flowers?"

Max had to compose herself before responding, "ooh, thank you, Chloe. And thanks, Joyce, these are beautiful."

She took the flowers from Chloe and walked into the kitchen, grabbing a pair of scissors from a drawer. Joyce had already placed a vase nearby and Max began cutting the bottoms of the stems.

"Why are you doing that?" Chloe said.

"Oh, whenever my dad would get flowers for my mom, I'd help get them ready," Max said, "we always cut the stems to fit them in the vase...and I think it helps them drink up."

"Nice, Max, you're a hella good plant mom," Chloe said.

"Well, I haven't killed Lisa yet," Max said, "so I guess that's a good sign."

After David arrived, the group assembled a quick meal (with Chloe participating begrudgingly) and Joyce kept her sly comments about Max and Chloe's relationship status to a minimum.

_ She's having a lot of fun with it...but probably doesn't want David to know until we've officially said something _ , Max thought, wrinkling her nose,  _ it's definitely weird being in a pseudo-relationship. We're sort of technically together...but not really. We know that we like each other but  _ we  _ haven't done anything about it. Time travel is so fucking weird. However… _

Max had just noticed that something was touching her foot under the table and would bet any money that it was Chloe's foot.

_ Only Chloe would dare to play footsie at a dinner table with her mom and David sitting next to us _ , Max thought, smiling and shaking her head.

Chloe pretended not to notice, sliding her foot up Max's leg, which caused Max to jump, drawing Joyce and David's attention. She cleared her throat and spooned mashed potatoes into her mouth to try to cover it up before glaring across at Chloe. Chloe, clearly attempting to stifle a laugh, winked at Max before continuing to rub Max's leg.

Max had to admit that it was nice...very nice. She smiled and found herself moving her foot back and forth against Chloe's. She was so distracted that she didn't notice when Joyce began talking to her.

"Max, are you daydreaming?" Joyce said.

"Oh...um, sorry, Joyce...yeah, a bit. What did you say?" Max said. She glanced around the table: Joyce looked amused, Chloe was again barely containing laughter, and David...David seemed distracted, staring down at his plate.

"I asked how your photography's going. You'd talked so much about it last week at the hospital," Joyce said.

"Oh, it's going pretty well," Max said, "I've gotten some decent shots over the past few weeks…"

"Mom," Chloe interrupted, "something to know about Max: she's an amazing photographer but doesn't think so. So when she says "decent" shots it actually means incredible photos. Seriously, her stuff is fucking awesome."

Max blushed. From the journal, it sounded like Beta Max had actually started to fully accept those kinds of compliments.

_ I don't know _ , Max thought,  _ is my work  _ really  _ as praise-worthy as everyone seems to think? _

"Max," Joyce said, shaking a finger, "you make sure that you take pride in your work. I bet Chloe's right. Humility is good but make sure  _ you  _ know how good you are!"

"Okay," Max said with a small smile, "I...eventually I'll learn to believe what everyone keeps telling me."

She looked over at Chloe and Chloe grinned.

"Although," Max continued, "it would be nice to have a photography teacher again. Of course," her voice darkened, "I'm fine with waiting since that fu...since Mr. Jefferson is behind bars."

"Damn right about that," David said, practically growling, "it's a good thing Nathan spilled the beans as quick as he did. If he hadn't, Jefferson might've jumped into his fancy car and high-tailed it out of here. Could've taken a while to bring him down."

"Amen to that," Joyce said, nodding but raising an eyebrow at David, who had gone back to staring at his plate.

Max felt a familiar shiver at the subject of Mr. Jefferson...but something about sitting at the table in Chloe's house kept it at bay.

"What are you doing in the meantime?" Joyce said, turning back to Max, "with your photography class, that is."

"I...haven't really thought about it, actually," Max said, "I...um...I guess no one's been going to class but...maybe there's something we could do until we get a new teacher."

Joyce nodded and continued eating.

Max finished her meal and sat back contented; Chloe had resumed her game of footsie and Max smiled.

After a few moments of silence, Joyce looked up and pointed her fork at Max.

"You know, Max," she said, "speaking of your photography, maybe there's something you could do with video. You should talk to David. I know he's done a lot of work with video."

Max and Chloe shared a glance and Chloe dropped her foot away from Max's. David shifted uncomfortably in his seat and looked away.

" _ David _ ," Joyce said, "what's wrong? You've been so quiet all night."

"I...it's...oh, never mind," David said quietly, avoiding eye contact.

"Now come on, dear," Joyce said, "something's clearly on your mind."

"It's...about video," David said, looking up at her, his expression strained.

"What about video?" Joyce said.

"Listen, I...I've been meaning to tell you for a while and I've been stupid not to," David said, "I thought maybe I'd just let it rest but...I had a discussion with Michelle Grant today and...I realized it isn't right to keep it a secret."

Max and Chloe shared another glance.

_ Oh crap _ , Max thought,  _ this  _ has  _ to be about the surveillance. This could get awkward _ .

After a pause, Joyce frowned and said, "go on."

"I've...a while back I installed cameras around the house," David said, fidgeting, "surveillance cameras."

"You  _ what _ ?" Joyce said, her voice low and dangerous.

Max winced and shrunk down in her seat, feeling a completely legitimate sense of deja vu. Chloe glanced back and forth between Joyce and David.

_ At least  _ I'm  _ not the one bringing it up this time _ , Max thought,  _ and what's up with Chloe? Normally she'd be all up in David's face about this already _ ... _ I guess she either found out about it already from Beta Max...or she's grown accustomed to actually kind of liking David… _

"I put up surveillance cameras in and around the house," David said, looking Joyce in the eye, "I did it because I thought it would keep us all safe."

"Why didn't you tell us about this?" Joyce said.

"I...I didn't think you'd approve," David said.

"You're right, I don't," Joyce said before turning to Chloe, "Chloe, I'm surprised you have nothing to say about this."

"Oh, um...yeah...what the serious fuck, David?" Chloe said.

Max wasn't sure if Chloe's anger was very convincing but David turned to her.

"Chloe, part of the reason I put them up was because...I thought you might bring someone legitimately dangerous into our home," David said.

"Dude," Chloe said, her face contorting in real anger, "are you  _ serious _ ? The only people I've ever brought here are Rachel and Max. Did either of them really ever seem that fucking dangerous to you?"

David looked as if he was about to yell back but he slouched and leaned back in his chair.

"You're right, Chloe," David said, "I was just so suspicious of everyone...all the time. It's the kind of thing you learn when any guy on the street could have a bomb on him...or when anyone could just pull out an AK and gun down your friends. I just went too far...and none of those cameras ended up doing anyone any good anyways."

"Where are those cameras?" Chloe said, "because I swear, if there's one in my room…"

"No!" David said, "absolutely not. There were cameras in the hallways and outside; that's it."

"And when you say 'were'...?" Joyce said.

"I took them down," David said, "they're all down and in a box in the garage. I'm selling them...all of it."

The table was silent for a moment.

"I'm glad to hear that, David," Joyce said, "but we do need to discuss this."

"Yes," David said, "but first...I'm sorry...to all of you."

"Er...we'd better leave you two to talk this out," Chloe said, standing up.

Joyce and David nodded and Chloe walked out towards the hall. Max quickly stood and grabbed both her and Chloe's plates, nodding at Joyce and David, unsure of what she should say. She put the plates in the sink and ran water over them before joining Chloe in the hall.

"What now?" Max whispered, "should I rewind and try to fix this?"

Chloe stared back over towards the table, where Joyce and David had begun to talk in low voices.

"Nah," Chloe said, "probably better for them to work it out themselves. Besides, if it was going to be bad, they'd already be yelling...trust me on that, I've been around plenty of fights in this house."

"How many of those fights did  _ you _ start?" Max said.

"Er...almost all of them," Chloe said.

"So you think they'll be okay?" Max said, "I don't know if Beta Max told you but I really kind of fucked things up in the erased timeline with them over this issue."

"Yeah," Chloe said, "but...I think we're in a much better place now."

"I suppose that's true," Max said, glancing over at the dining room, "David  _ does _ seem way less defensive and a lot more apologetic than the first time…okay, so now what do we do?"

"I sure as hell don't want to hang around here," Chloe said, "after all, this whole thing could lead to make-up sex and I do not have the psychological fortitude for that."

"Want to come stay with me?" Max said.

"Is that okay?" Chloe said.

"Probably not," Max said, "but fuck that...if I can sneak past drunk Wells on his porch, we can sneak you in."

"Awesomesauce, let's go," Chloe said.

**. . . . .**

Getting to Max's room undetected proved effortless and Chloe stretched out on Max's bed as Max extracted her laptop from a pile of papers.

"So," Chloe said, "still want to watch a movie?"

"Definitely," Max said, "we can pick whatever we want and if I don't have it here, there's a good chance Warren has it."

"Sounds good," Chloe said, leaning back, "so what you thinkin'?"

"Hmm," Max said, "how about Blade…"

"And I veto Blade Runner," Chloe said quickly, "sorry, G, Beta Max and I watched that a few nights ago and while I love it, I'd probably fall asleep and awkwardly drool all over you."

Max laughed.

"Okay," Max said, "ooh, how about The Fifth Element?"

"Yes!" Chloe said, sitting up, "that is a  _ hella  _ awesome movie. I've got my Chloe Price Multipass, douchebags...gotta watch some blue lady opera."

"Great," Max said, standing up, "I'll be right back."

A few minutes later, Max returned, brandishing a flash drive. She found Chloe standing in front of her closet, pawing through her clothes.

"Looking for something?" Max said.

"Yeah, your sense of style," Chloe said with a smirk, "can't find it."

"Oh really? How are you going to help me find it?" Max said, crossing her arms.

"Hmm...step one: remove all of your clothes," Chloe said, "all of them. Then we build up your wardrobe from scratch."

"So you want me to walk around naked until you get me new clothes?" Max said.

"Yep," Chloe said.

"You're such a dork," Max said.

"Of course," Chloe said.

They propped pillows up against the headboard of Max's bed and sat with their legs stretched out. Max immediately scooted closer to Chloe, who smiled and put an arm around Max's shoulders. They rested Max's laptop on their legs and started the movie.

They were soon calling out, "Aziz,  _ light _ !" with the movie's ill-fated archaeologist.

A few scenes later, Max mentioned that the actor playing the priest also played Bilbo Baggins, to which Chloe replied, "no...fucking...way...holy shit, you're right. I'm never going to be able to watch this movie the same way again."

During the scenes at the spaceport, Chloe's phone buzzed.

"Shit, hold on," Chloe said and Max paused the movie.

Chloe looked at her phone, typed a message, and put it away.

"Just my mom," Chloe said.

"Everything okay?" Max said.

"Sounds like it," Chloe said, "she said we could come back and that things are good but I told her I'm being lazy and staying here...um...if that's okay?"

"Yeah!" Max said, leaning into Chloe's shoulder.

"Hey, Max?" Chloe said.

"Yeah?" Max said.

"Are you classified as human?" Chloe said.

"Negative," Max said, chuckling, "I'm a meat popsicle."

By the time they reached the first scenes at Fhloston Paradise, Max's eyelids were feeling incredibly heavy. She leaned further onto Chloe's shoulder and had trouble focusing on the movie. Not even Ruby Rhod's screeching could keep her eyes open.

_ No...I'd feel awful if I fell asleep _ , she thought,  _ this is our first night back together and this  _ is  _ a hella awesome movie. But damn I'm tired...I guess I haven't really had a restful night's sleep in...wow, a long time. It feels like the body I'm in is decently rested...but...definitely not my mind...or whatever. I...just...really… _

And then she fell asleep.

It took a few minutes for Chloe to notice. She leaned over to whisper something into Max's ear but saw that Max's eyes were closed and smiled. She held Max tightly and continued to watch the movie.

Suddenly, an idea struck her and she carefully reached over to grab a pencil and a piece of paper from the cube that served as Max's nightstand. She excitedly jotted down some notes.

When finished, she folded the paper up, slid it into her pocket, and wrapped her arm around Max again, shifting slowly to a more comfortable position and finishing the movie.

**. . . . .**

Max's eyes flew open.

She half expected to see The Fifth Element still playing in front of her but the room was dark. She could hear deep breathing next to her and glanced over, seeing Chloe's outline. She smiled...but something seemed to be tugging at the corner of her mind. Her brow furrowed and she looked around the room again. Nothing looked out of the ordinary...and yet, a feeling of nervousness descended upon her...and something else…

_ Weird...it kind of feels like how I felt with the butterfly in the bathroom _ , Max thought,  _ or with the doe nearby...or at the lighthouse by that strange writing. Or...like in the Media Literacy class earlier.  _ That's  _ why it felt familiar...but what's… _

Her thoughts froze.

Faintly, in the hall outside, she could hear footsteps approaching. And with them, another sound: a quiet clacking sound, like a stone gently striking against another. It was rhythmic and it increased in pace as the footsteps drew closer.

Almost involuntarily, Max drew the covers up closer to her chin. The footsteps and the clacking grew louder...then the footsteps stopped, directly outside of Max's room. The clacking sound, rapid now, came from just beyond the door.

Max looked up and over at the door and felt a terrible sense of unease. Chills reverberated through her body and she felt a strong sense that something dangerous stood just past the door. She slowly raised her hand, ready to rewind, her expression grim as she watched the door. Her other hand found Chloe's arm. Chloe sniffed and mumbled something incoherent in her sleep.

_ Whatever or whoever is there, they have to get through  _ me  _ to get to her _ , Max thought, her fear melting into determination.

For several moments, nothing changed; the rapid clacking the only sound breaking the silence of the night. Max continued to hold her arm out, her eyes locked on the doorknob.

Then the clacking abruptly stopped.

Max held perfectly still and, from the hall, she thought she could hear, ever so briefly, a deep and unpleasant chuckle.

The presence on the other side of the door began to move away, footsteps receding into the distance. Max felt her chills subside...as did the intense feelings of unease.

Max remained where she was for a minute...for five minutes...for ten. She wondered if she should rewind and confront whatever it was. But the very idea made the feelings of unease return.

_ Something new to add to the list of what the fuck _ , Max thought.

She lowered her arm and withdrew her hand from Chloe's arm. After what felt like an hour of staring into the dark, she finally fell asleep listening to Chloe's breathing.


	3. Mysteries

Max's eyes fluttered open and she groaned quietly, thinking that she'd fallen asleep again after a long session of practicing her powers...or after another round of reviewing the plan to save Chloe. She felt some relief that her dreams hadn't included Chloe sprawled on the bathroom floor in a pool of blood...the image that had visited her night after night. She turned, expecting to see Warren or Kate sprawled on the couch.

But then, as her foggy mind cleared and she gazed at the empty couch, her eyes widened and she flipped around so quickly that she lifted herself off of the bed, landing back on the mattress with a reverberating thump.

Chloe, who had been dozing lightly next to her, jumped, her eyes flying open.

"Huh what's goin' on?" she mumbled, pulling her arms out from under the covers and rubbing her eyes.

Max grinned at her.

"Oh...it's just my adorable alarm clock," Chloe said. She reached over and put her palm on Max's head and said, "snooze." She closed her eyes...but a smile lingered on her face.

"You're not actually going back to sleep, are you?" Max said.

Chloe opened one eye and said, "and if I do?"

"I'll just have to have all of the fun without you," Max said, shrugging, "or just tickle you until you get up."

"Yeah, both of those are bad news," Chloe said, opening her eyes and sitting up. She stretched with a loud yawn and then looked at Max's grinning face and said, "what?"

"Nothing," Max said, "it's just...you're here."

"Geez, Max," Chloe said, smiling softly, "when I'm feeling shitty, I just need, like, ten seconds around you to feel better."

"Then I'm doing my job well," Max said.

Chloe chuckled and then scrunched her nose, saying, "dude, now  _ I  _ really need a shower. You think they'll bust me if I use Blackwell's precious hot water?"

"I don't think anyone in this hall would care," Max said, "and you can use my shower stuff; it's in a caddy in the closet."

"Sweet. And, um, can I borrow a pair of your underwear?" Chloe said.

"I guess I owe you, don't I?" Max said.

"True dat, Max. Even so, you're the best," Chloe said. She flung the covers aside.

"Um," Max said, looking down, "it seems as if your pants have disappeared."

"Oh yeah," Chloe said, "it gets pretty damn hot in bed with you." She nudged Max's shoulder.

Max rolled her eyes before saying, "well, it's a good look for you."

"Thanks, G," Chloe said, "I think I look better with less."

She began crawling over Max, pausing directly above her.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," Max replied, feeling heat in her cheeks.

Chloe chuckled and climbed out of bed, stretching again as she stood.

"Alright, Maxaroni," Chloe said, leaning into Max's closet and grabbing the shower caddy and a towel, "I'm going to get naked and soapy. Think of me while I'm gone."

"You are such a dork," Max said.

"I'll be thinking of  _ you _ ," Chloe said, winking as she stepped into the hall.

She closed the door behind her and Max sighed in completely false annoyance. She rolled out of bed and blinked, yawning and stretching. She trudged over to her closet and grabbed new clothes, changing quickly and then stretching again with a smile as she replayed the morning so far in her mind.

Then, mid-stretch, she suddenly remembered what happened when she woke up during the night. Her smile vanished and a shiver passed through her.

_ Shit _ , Max thought,  _ I guess that really  _ did  _ happen. _

She strode over to her door and opened it, peering into the hall. Nothing seemed amiss in the empty hall...and yet…

_It's that feeling again_ , Max thought, staring down at the spot in front of her door, _someone or something was_ _here and it must be connected to...crap, I don't know...my powers? Maybe...Rachel?_

She closed the door and frowned, holding her elbow and staring blankly at the wall.

_ Rachel…, _ Max thought; then she stood up straight,  _ wait...from the journal...Beta Max wrote that Dana put an envelope somewhere that had to do with  _ me _. Maybe it's in  _ here  _ somewhere. There aren't many places that have anything to do with me at Blackwell...my room is the only place that makes sense. And with all of this weird shit  _ still  _ happening? I could sure as hell use a clue _ .

Max walked to the center of the room and spun around slowly, looking carefully at each spot in her room. She frowned and furrowed her brow...nothing stood out as an obvious hiding place. So she shrugged and began searching.

She heaved her mattress up and looked underneath...she looked under her couch cushions...she stood on her chair to check in the cupboards above the closet. She dug through her closet and tore through her storage cubes and desk, tossing papers around to see if, somehow, a strange envelope had found its way into her stuff.

Every envelope she found brought a surge of adrenaline...but each one was a card from a relative, junk mail, or something else that had nothing to do with Rachel.

After checking behind the radiator and pawing at all of her posters (to see if something had been hidden behind one), she sat down heavily on her couch, surveying the mess she'd created.

_ Ha _ , she thought,  _ my room looks a little like Chloe's now _ .

The thought seemed to have a summoning effect as, a moment later, the door opened and Chloe walked in, her hair wet, a towel wrapped around her body, and her clothes under her arm.

"Yo, Max, I...holy shit what happened in here?" Chloe said, stopping just inside the door with her mouth open.

"I ransacked my room," Max said.

"Um...yeah," Chloe said, "but why?"

"I thought about how Dana hid an envelope that Rachel gave her. It sounded like it might be in here so I decided to search for it," Max said.

"Did you find it?" Chloe said, glancing around.

Max shook her head.

"Too bad," Chloe said, "huh...at least your room has some extra personality now."

"I thought you might like it," Max said with a smile, "and did you seriously just walk through the hall wearing nothing but a towel?"

"Yeah," Chloe said, "er...that's not normal?"

"I...haven't seen anyone else do it," Max said.

"Oh, well, I'm just the pinnacle of awesome then," Chloe said, "nothing more punk than not giving a fuck. Next time I'll just go naked."

Chloe chuckled and began removing her towel.

Max spun around and Chloe laughed.

"All you Maxes really are the same," Chloe said.

Max stared at the wall, examining the posters above her and trying hard not to think about turning around. She jumped when Chloe's hands landed on her shoulders.

"Max, don't turn around because I'm still hella naked," Chloe said, "er...unless you want to. I'm cool with that. But if you don't, I need to get by you to get a pair of your pastel panties."

"Oh yeah, sure...I mean, I'll take a rain check on seeing you naked," Max said, "partially because I know you'd insist on seeing  _ me  _ naked and...um...I did  _ just  _ get dressed."

"Sure, Max, sure," Chloe said, pushing on Max's shoulders to rotate her; Max now found herself staring at Lisa as Chloe rifled through the closet drawers.

After a few more moments, Chloe said, "okay, G, all dressed."

Max turned around as Chloe pulled a shirt over her head.

"What's the plan?" Chloe said.

"Well, first of all, I'm really sorry I fell asleep last night," Max said, "that was totally lame."

"Dude, I completely understand," Chloe said, "that was probably the first time in more than a week that you've actually been able to relax."

"Yeah, that's true," Max said, deciding to hold off on telling Chloe about the creepy events from the previous night.

"Besides, it was adorable," Chloe said, "it was like a life-sized version of the Captain next to me."

Max smiled a half smile and put a hand on her hip, saying, "are you saying that I'm furry like a teddy bear?"

Chloe reached over and tousled Max's hair before saying, "nope, but you're just as cute as one...although now that I think of it, your hair isn't that far off from the Captain's fur color."

"The Captain and I both come from a long line of ancestors with excellent hair," Max said, "anyways, I promise I won't fall asleep during our next movie."

"Yeah...you missed so many good parts, too. I guess this means I'm going to have to watch both Blade Runner  _ and  _ The Fifth Element again soon," Chloe said, rolling her eyes.

"That's right," Max said with a smile.

"Eh, it's all good," Chloe said, "I used the opportunity to plan some evil schemes while you were snoozing."

"Oh really? Like what?" Max said, crossing her arms.

"That's classified, G-Max Caulfield," Chloe said, "you'll find out later."

"Hmm, so if  _ you  _ have stuff planned out, why ask  _ me  _ what we're doing?" Max said.

"How else am I supposed to spring my evil plans if I don't know what  _ you're _ planning?" Chloe said.

"Okay then, I will tell you my schedule...but only because I always seem to end up enjoying your evil plans. So, first of all, I do have classes all day today, which sucks," Max said, "I mean, I guess I don't have to go to Photography Lab...but that's one of the few things that I really enjoy and it would be nice…" She looked expectantly over at Chloe.

"Dude, I know how much your photography means to you," Chloe said, "you should totally go and rock it. Besides, my evil plans won't interfere with that."

"Okay," Max said, grinning, "and then the only thing I have after that is Life Drawing until 4:00 and then I'm free."

"Hmm," Chloe said, "new evil plan: I'm going to apply to be a model for your Life Drawing class. Then you'll  _ have  _ to see me naked. It will be an academic requirement. And you'll have to  _ draw  _ me."

Max stared at her with wide eyes.

"I'm kidding," Chloe said, lightly punching Max in the shoulder, "I'm fine with  _ you  _ seeing me au naturel...but the rest of your class? No. Not going to happen. Besides, I'm not going to prank you into something like that. Like I said before, you decide the pace. And...oh wait, I don't know if I told you this...shit, sorry: if my jokes ever get to be too much, just smack me."

"Your innuendo does take some getting used to, Chloe, but now I can't imagine you without it," Max said, "I'll take the full package, please."

"Oh, you'll get  _ that  _ alright!" Chloe said, laughing loudly.

Max groaned and said, "why was that so funny?"

"Because Beta Max said the same damn thing!" Chloe said.

"Oh my god," Max said.

"She said that too," Chloe said, winking.

Max dove forward, her fingers reaching towards Chloe's sides.

Chloe leapt back and cried out, "I surrender!"

Max dropped her hands and grinned.

They looked at each other for a few moments before both saying, "Two Whales?"

"Jinx!" Max said immediately, just as Chloe began to open her mouth.

"Shit!" Chloe said, "did you rewind to do that?"

"Nope," Max said, "I've just got skill."

"Oh, er...about that...the rewinding, I mean," Chloe said, shifting awkwardly, "Beta Max sort of had this policy about...um…"

"Oh, yeah," Max said, "I saw that in the journal. Totally on board; one hundred percent. Anything special that we do together, I don't rewind unless I really  _ really _ have to."

Chloe smiled and said, "okay, now that we've covered nudity, ransacking, rewinding policy, and adorable sleeping, let's get some food. I'm fucking starving."

"Aye aye, Cap'n," Max said.

**. . . . .**

As they pulled up to the Two Whales, Chloe glanced over at the parking lot for a long moment.

"What's up?" Max said, getting out of the truck.

"Frank moved his RV," Chloe said, joining Max in front of the truck, "that's a good sign. He normally moves every day or two and he'd been here for several days, moping. If he's bouncing around again, must mean he's getting better."

"That's good," Max said.

"Um, morbid question but was Frank at my funeral?" Chloe said.

"Oh...um...yeah," Max said, "I almost didn't see him but he was there...standing away from everyone else, sort of hiding behind a bush. He had Pompidou with him too."

"Nice," Chloe said, "it's sort of weird to have this window into an alternate reality...knowing how people reacted to me dying. Crazy. And...kind of a weird ego boost."

"Yeah," Max said quietly.

"Shit, sorry, I keep forgetting that that actually happened for you," Chloe said, reaching down and grabbing Max's hand.

"Oops, sorry," Chloe continued, starting to release Max's hand.

"Nope, I like it," Max said with a smile, keeping a grip on Chloe's hand.

Chloe smiled and they didn't release hands until they entered the diner.

After they sat at their normal booth, Joyce came over and filled their coffee cups, saying, "fancy seeing you here."

"Indeed," Chloe said with a grin.

"Is...everything okay?" Max said.

Joyce sighed but smiled.

"Yes, everything's okay," she said, "David and I had a long talk. A good talk. And he wants to apologize to both of you again in person."

They both nodded.

"And Chloe...are you okay with this?" Joyce said, her expression displaying a long history.

"Yeah, yeah," Chloe said, "I'm not happy about it but I get it. And he took all that shit down without anyone telling him to. I guess that counts for something."

Joyce nodded and said, "well, now that we're putting that behind us, what do you girls want?"

They both ordered waffles.

Max turned to Chloe as Joyce left and said, "I thought you were more of an omelet person."

"Well, you eat all of that sugar and you're hella sweet, so I figured I'd give it a try," Chloe said.

"Are you cereal?" Max said, raising an eyebrow.

"Hey, who knows when you'll make a move on me," Chloe said, "I have to get some flirting in whenever I can."

"You know you can continue to flirt after moves have been made, right?" Max said.

"Are you sure about that?" Chloe said.

"Um...no, actually," Max said, "but why not? I won't stop you."

"Good to know," Chloe said, grinning.

"So, tell me more about how sweet I am," Max said, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Well, you saved my life," Chloe said, "that's pretty sweet."

"I sort of had to, you know," Max said, "otherwise who would I have to tell me how sweet I am?"

"True dat," Chloe said.

"Oh hey," Max said, "not to abruptly change the subject but did Beta Max have any theories about what was up with all of Rachel's weird stuff? Or with the Prescotts?"

"Where's that coming from?" Chloe said, her eyes wide.

"Er...it's been poking around in my head ever since I read the journal," Max said, "and...well...something really creepy happened last night."

Chloe's head tilted, "wait...when?"

"I'm not exactly sure but it must've been pretty late," Max said, "I woke up and you were asleep. And then...I started feeling weird."

"How so?" Chloe said, leaning forward with her brow furrowed.

"I felt...nervous...and...a little like I did when I was around the weird butterfly...or the doe," Max said.

"Okay...strange," Chloe said.

"That was just the beginning," Max said, lowering her voice, "I started to hear footsteps coming down the hall and there was a weird sort of clacking noise. As the footsteps got closer, the clacking sound got faster and then the footsteps stopped right outside the door."

"Dude this is giving me seriously creepy chills," Chloe said, "if you woke me up, we could have busted out and kicked some ass."

"I...I had a really bad feeling about whatever or whoever was on the other side of the door," Max said, "I didn't want to get either of us hurt."

"Shit...so what happened?" Chloe said.

"I just kind of laid there, ready to rewind," Max said, "then the clacking noise stopped, I thought I heard a creepy laugh, and whoever was there walked away."

"That's...really messed up," Chloe said, putting her head in her hands, "what the fuck is going on?"

Max bit her lip and said, "I'm not sure...I was already planning on talking about this stuff...you know, later...but last night makes it feel more urgent. It's so weird...it seems like we fixed all of the storm and death stuff…"

" _ You _ fixed," Chloe interrupted.

"...but there...wait, Chloe, you were  _ totally  _ a huge part of making that happen," Max said.

"Er...if you say so...it seems like I just did a lot of dying," Chloe said.

"You figured out a lot," Max said, " _ none _ of this would have been possible without you."

"Okay, I'll take some credit," Chloe said, smiling.

Max smiled back and said, "um...where was I?...oh right, even though we fixed stuff, it seems like there's a larger puzzle here. Strange things are still happening in Arcadia Bay and as much as I hate to think it, it looks like we're still involved."

Chloe nodded. Then a smile slowly spread on her face.

"What?" Max said.

"Well gang, looks like we have a mystery to solve," Chloe said.

Max groaned.

"Let's split up, gang," Chloe said.

"There are only two of us," Max said, sighing.

"We can grab Frank," Chloe said, "he'd be a great Shaggy and he comes with a Scooby."

"Okay, I'll play," Max said, "who are you and I?"

"You're totally Velma and I'm Daphne," Chloe said, nodding.

"Who's...um...the other guy?" Max said.

"Fred!" Chloe said, "um...Warren?"

Max shook her head and said, "I haven't seen that show since back before we were building pirate forts. You seem to remember way more than I do."

"Er...I watched some of it a few months ago," Chloe said.

"Really?" Max said, raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah...I was high as a kite," Chloe said, "really helps you relate to the characters."

"Huh?" Max said.

"Dude, those four meddling kids and their dog are so fucking high...all the time," Chloe said.

Max paused, her brow furrowed, before saying, "maybe you're right...but...um...maybe we should get back to the other stuff?"

"Sorry, easily distracted," Chloe said, "and...um...trying to lighten the mood."

Max smiled and said, "thanks."

"Well, you've been single-handedly responsible for lightening  _ my _ mood. Figured I should return the favor whenever I can," Chloe said.

Max opened her mouth to respond but Joyce appeared with their food.

"Here you go," Joyce said, "enjoy."

"Thanks, Joyce!" Max said.

"Yeah, thanks, mom," Chloe said, staring at the waffle, "hopefully I don't get diabetes."

Joyce chuckled and turned away.

"You know," Chloe said, pouring syrup gingerly onto her waffle, "before we get too far into the heavy mystery stuff here...we could really start thinking about how to use your powers. After all, I'm not getting Final Destinationed every few hours and there's no death tornado. Fuck, as long as these mysteries you're talking about don't kill us, you could do almost  _ anything _ !"

" _ We _ could do almost anything," Max said, "but let's take things one step at a time."

"In more ways than one," Chloe said, winking.

Max rolled her eyes, trying and failing to suppress a smile.

"Well, before we start trying to take over the world, we should get to the bottom of these outstanding questions," Max said.

"Hmm...taking over the world...we'll be like Pinky and the Brain!" Chloe said.

"Two problems with that," Max said, "one: which one of us is Pinky and which one of us is the Brain?"

"Oh, well obviously you'd...I mean...oh...huh...I guess we don't really fit that mold," Chloe said, frowning, "what's the second problem?"

"They fail every time," Max said.

"Good point," Chloe said, "maybe we should take things one step at a time."

"Good idea; I'm glad you thought of it," Max said with a grin before taking a bite of her waffle.

"So...mysteries," Chloe said after swallowing a particularly large bite, "shit...I guess there  _ are _ a bunch...like where the hell did your superpowers come from? And what's Rachel's connection? And what the hell was up with that freaky storm? And…"

"Whoa, Chloe," Max said, "slow down...let's back up and take it one at a time."

"Okay...um...badass powers? Any ideas?" Chloe said.

"Let's call that mystery number one," Max said, "and no...I saw you get shot and boom, I had powers."

"But that wasn't the first weird thing, right?" Chloe said.

"No, I saw the vision of the storm a few minutes before that," Max said.

"So...the storm...that's mystery number two because it's a really shitty thing," Chloe said.

Max chuckled and said, "okay, the storm is the second mystery...and it  _ is _ really weird once you think about it," Max said, "everything points to me causing it by saving you in the bathroom...but I saw the vision of the storm  _ before  _ anything else happened. Something is off there."

"No kidding...and speaking of something being off there, thanks again for making sure Nathan's aim was off," Chloe said, patting her side.

"No problem," Max said, smiling gently.

Chloe smiled back and said, "okay...more mysteries...what's next? Maybe the world's biggest douchebags?"

"The Prescotts?" Max said, "Sure, let's call them number three. And let's see...they're a mystery because it seems like they might have known about the storm beforehand. They built storm bunkers, mentioned bad things happening to Arcadia Bay...and it feels like too much of a coincidence that they were preparing for an apocalyptic storm and then Nathan Prescott ends up involved in the event that somehow triggers it."

"So...maybe  _ they _ caused it?" Chloe said, "I don't know how the fuck...but...why would they want it?"

"Er...I don't know," Max said, "I guess all of the destruction would let Prescott buy up Arcadia Bay's land for cheap."

"Seems like a lot of shit just to get cheaper real estate," Chloe said.

"Maybe there's gold or oil or something here that only they know about?" Max said.

"Fuck, that  _ would _ turn this into a fucking Scooby Doo episode," Chloe said, "and you'd think someone else would've found shit like that by now."

"Hmm...then maybe there's something else about the storm...or something else related to the storm that they were after," Max said, "it would have to be something valuable enough to spend millions of dollars on bunkers and...shit, who knows what else?"

"Including shooting a magnificently fucked up young lady such as myself," Chloe said.

"If that's true," Max said, "they not only put a ton of money into this but also risked getting busted for murder…"

They both stared at each other for a moment, Max with a small bite of waffle halfway into her mouth and Chloe with a much larger piece of waffle hanging off of her fork.

"I'm finding myself concerned," Max said.

"Yeah, no shit," Chloe said, "if you put that kind of risk and resources into something, you don't just give up."

They sat silently for a moment, contemplating their plates.

"Okay," Max finally said, "that's definitely disturbing...but  _ all  _ of that is guesswork on our part...for all we know, the Prescott connections really  _ are  _ coincidences."

"You think they might be?" Chloe said.

"No," Max said, cringing, "but I'd rather not dwell on it...and speaking of the Prescotts, there was that weird cylinder with the symbols. Let's call that mystery number four."

"You think that's important enough to make it onto the list?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said, "according to the journal, Sean Prescott seemed to think it was a pretty big deal. Not only that, but Beta Max found a set of similar symbols in his study, and I remember the same symbols up by the lighthouse and...I definitely had a reaction to them...a feeling that they  _ meant _ something. So if there's an object...or objects...with these symbols, maybe there's something important about them."

"Damn, maybe we  _ should've _ stolen it," Chloe said.

"Yeah...maybe," Max said.

"I'm beginning to think we're a bit outclassed here, Max," Chloe said.

"Maybe," Max said, frowning, "it feels like we're behind in the knowledge game...we just don't  _ know _ much. But...I'm encouraged by two things."

"Oh?" Chloe said.

"One: we're still here," Max said, "we stopped the storm, Nathan and Jefferson are in jail, and we're both alive and eating waffles."

"Hey...that's a good point," Chloe said, straightening in her seat, "if we were  _ really  _ outclassed, we'd have been so totally fucked by this point. What's the second thing?"

"Mystery number five: the doe," Max said.

"Oh right...um...Beta Max thought that it...that it might be Rachel. Do you think that could be true?" Chloe said softly.

Max bit her lip and tapped her fork against her plate, thinking.

"I really don't know for sure," Max said after a moment, "but it could be. I think...I hope so. It's comforting to think that it could be Rachel...and that she might be helping us somehow."

"If it  _ is _ her, she'll have our backs," Chloe said.

"And that brings us to the last mystery...or...actually I guess we can roll it in with number five: Rachel's weird tasks that Beta Max found out about," Max said.

Max looked over at Chloe hopefully.

"I got nothin'," Chloe said, "I always thought that Rachel told me everything that was going on with her. But...shit, turns out there were plenty of things she kept secret from me. Guess this was one of them."

Max nodded and said, "I'm sorry, Chloe."

"Nothing to be sorry about," Chloe said, "so...five mysteries?"

"Yeah," Max said, "one: superpowers, two: storm, three: Prescotts, four: cylinder, five: the doe...er...Rachel."

Chloe held up a finger with each item that Max listed.

"Well, when you put it like that, it doesn't seem so bad," Chloe said.

"It's still a lot of unknowns," Max said.

"Like you said, though, we've got your superpower and it looks like maybe Rachel's got our back," Chloe said, leaning back, "those count for something."

"Yeah, it makes me feel better...but we still need to stay on our toes," Max said, "particularly with cars following us and creepsters sneaking up to my door. Shit, I'm glad I've gotten into the habit of locking it."

"Er...not to be kinda morbid but is a Blackwell dorm room lock going to stop a determined asshole?" Chloe said.

"No," Max said, "but it would give me time to rewind."

"Oh, right," Chloe said.

Max fidgeted with her fork.

"Dude," Chloe said, "we can't be nervous all the time. We'll get through this, alright? We'll figure it out. And look, we've got to live life too. We could worry about all of this and a meteor could blow up our asses at any moment. Boom...and wouldn't that feel like shit, knowing we'd been worrying instead of getting in each other's pants?"

Max laughed.

"Chloe, you really do think along very particular lines," Max said, smiling.

"Yup yup," Chloe said, scarfing down another bite of waffle.

"Yeah, you're right," Max said, "after all, when I think about it, it seems like you, me, and Beta Max have basically hit dead ends on these mysteries. We'll just need to keep our eyes open and trust that inspiration will hit. And I'm sure as hell not going to waste our time together," Max's gaze became sharp, "I just got you back and I want every moment to count...and that's not going to happen if I'm obsessing about this stuff."

Chloe swallowed and said, "yes! That's what I'm talking about."

Max grinned.

"Oh, by the way," Chloe said, "I have a sixth mystery to add."

Max raised an eyebrow and said, "oh?"

"Yup, mystery six: what the fuck happened in Seattle to make Max dress like a hipster?" Chloe said.

"Dude, you suck," Max said, "I like my jeans and t-shirts. You'd better watch it or I'll go get fashion tips from Evan."

"You wouldn't go that far," Chloe said, "you can't bluff me with that."

"Ugh, you're right," Max said.

"And we still have our deal, don't you forget," Chloe said.

"Which  _ wasn't _ in my texts, by the way," Max said.

"But  _ was  _ in your journal, I take it," Chloe said, grinning.

Max sighed, "yes, every version of me has become insanely detailed with journaling over these crazy weeks."

"We'll make it part of our Portland trip," Chloe said, "I'll find you a perfect Maximum Punk outfit. It will be amazeballs."

"Oh shit," Max said, bolting upright with a smile, "I totally forgot about the trip!"

"You'd better be ready to roll on Friday, G. It is going to be so fucking awesome," Chloe said, finishing off the last of her waffle, "damn, I don't know how you eat stuff like this; it's way too sweet."

"Years and years of practice," Max said, pouring more syrup onto the last quarter of her waffle.

"Crazy," Chloe said.

"Oh hey, before we jump off of the mystery train for the time being, I was...kind of wondering something about Rachel," Max said.

Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"It sounded like you and Beta Max thought it might have been some big prank or party that she was planning...but Justin, Trevor, and Dana seemed so...devoted to it...even though she was...gone. That's what has me stumped...why did they still do it?" Max said.

"I really wish you would've had a chance to meet her," Chloe said, "she...she just had a way of making people feel good...she always  _ cared  _ about people. One of the reasons she reminded me of you...something I didn't realize until way later. Here...try this: think about all of the good shit  _ you've _ done for people over the past couple of weeks...er, in various timelines. And not just for me. And then think about this:  _ I _ would do pretty much anything you asked, particularly if you said it was important. And I bet other people feel the same. It was like that with Rachel."

Max thought about it.

_ I guess she's right _ , Max thought,  _ I helped Kate...a lot...because, well, she's Kate. And Alyssa too. And Warren. And Dana...and Juliet. Wow, I guess I do have a habit of trying really hard to help people out. I just...want to see people safe and happy. And...if I went to Kate and asked her to sneak an envelope somewhere, I guess she'd probably do it. Hell, Beta Max got Daniel to be a lookout while she broke into Nathan's room. And Rachel was  _ way  _ more social than I am...so it must have been even more natural for her. _

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Max said.

Chloe smiled and said, "I think we  _ will _ find out what Rachel was up to...eventually. Also...er...don't you have class at some point?"

Max swallowed her last bite of waffle and glanced at her phone.

"Time to get your schoolgirl on?" Chloe said.

Max tilted her head and said, "I'm not quite sure how to respond to that. But...yeah," she sighed, "I should get back up there soon."

Chloe left cash on the table and they waved to Joyce as they left. Chloe sauntered over to the truck and Max stopped to take a shot of a pair of police cars sitting across the street.

When Max climbed into Chloe's truck, shaking the photo she'd just taken, Chloe was drumming her fingers on the wheel, staring at the parking lot next to the Two Whales.

"Hmm, I hope I can find Frank quickly," Chloe said.

"Why?" Max said.

"Classified," Chloe said, turning and smiling over at Max, "evil schemes need henchmen!"

"I'm becoming very suspicious, Chloe," Max said.

"As you should," Chloe said, ruffling Max's hair before starting the truck.

**. . . . .**

Chloe parked at the curb in front of Blackwell and Max hopped out. She turned around in surprise when Chloe also jumped out.

"Joining me for my World History class?" Max said.

"Oh, hell no," Chloe said.

She walked over and leaned against the truck's passenger door, her thumbs tucked into her pockets and a sly smile on her face.

"Uh oh," Max said, crossing her arms, "what are you up to?"

"Oh, I was just wondering if you'd...like to have dinner with me tonight?" Chloe said.

"Well duh," Max said, "we've been eating together almost every…"

Max stopped and her eyes went wide. Chloe grinned.

"Chloe, are you asking me out on a  _ date _ ?" Max said.

"Yep yep," Chloe said.

"Does this have anything to do with your evil scheme?" Max said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Of course," Chloe said.

"Aha," Max said, grinning, "well, my answer is yes: I would love to have dinner with you tonight."

"Awesomesauce," Chloe said, her eyes glittering, "I'll pick you up...right here," she pointed at the ground, "at four o'clock."

"I'll be here," Max said; she started to turn around but a thought occurred to her and she said, "oh, will you be here for lunch?"

"Nope," Chloe said, "I've got  _ big _ evil plans to accomplish."

Max narrowed her eyes.

"And nope," Chloe continued, "you don't get to find out until later."

"Oh, I am going to  _ hate  _ classes today," Max said, looking skyward.

"Hey, just think of me," Chloe said, "first class is history? Say you're learning about a Roman Emperor...replace that boring dude with Empress Chloe the Punk. Way the fuck more interesting. What do you have after that?"

"Algebra," Max said.

"Huh, I really liked algebra...um...well, pretend that instead of solving for x, you're solving for me...spending time with me, that is," Chloe said, "you'll have to add things, right? Like me. And multiply things...like beer and food. And, of course, you'll have to divide things, like the distance between us," Chloe pushed off the truck and took a couple of steps towards Max, "and subtract things...you know, like clothes."

"You are such a dork," Max said.

"Don't you know it," Chloe said, "what about the afternoon? What do you have then?"

"Photography Lab and Life Drawing," Max said.

"Oh right, you mentioned those earlier. Those are super easy," Chloe said, "just imagine you're photographing and drawing  _ me _ ...however your imagination wants to interpret that."

Chloe winked and Max blushed.

The bell rang and Max jumped.

Chloe laughed and said, "better get in there! I'll see your skinny ass at four."

"Chloe," Max said, "I...I'm really super excited for this. I've never been on a date."

"Ha, me neither," Chloe said, "it'll be awesome."

Max stepped forward and wrapped Chloe in a hug; Chloe squeezed her back.

"See you later," Max said.

"See you, G," Chloe said, releasing her.

Chloe hopped back into her truck, waving as she drove off.

_ I wonder what she has planned _ , Max thought,  _ this is...really exciting. And holy shit, we're actually going on a  _ date _. Something normal people would do...people who aren't dealing with time travel and psychopaths and shit. But...damn, it's six hours until date time...this is going to be a hard day to get through. _

Max sighed and walked towards the building.

Across the street, the occupant of a grey sedan watched Max enter the building before jotting down some notes.


	4. Photos & Drawings

A few hours later, after lunch and tea with Kate, Max walked through empty halls to the Photography Lab room.

_ One advantage of having no teacher is that I can ignore the bells _ , Max thought, and _ I got to spend more time with Kate. I'm glad she invited me...I'm not sure I could've handled that big lunch group that Beta Max described...and if I ate alone I'd be doing nothing but thinking about Chloe's super-secret date plans _ .

Kate had declined to join Max in the Photography Lab; Max hadn't been surprised and had encouraged Kate to take the time to read or draw instead.

_ It's so sad that Kate doesn't enjoy photography anymore _ , Max thought, clenching her fists,  _ Jefferson managed to ruin so much...both big and small...what a complete and total asshole. At least Kate knows that she can talk to me...or Chloe...about what happened. It was hard to tell her about Nathan drugging Chloe...and about me being "on Jefferson's list"...but now she knows that she  _ really  _ isn't alone. And someday I'll tell her what  _ actually  _ happened. It feels so weird to have already told her...and Warren...and now they don't remember a thing. _

Max reached the lab room, stepped in, and stopped in her tracks, groaning internally.

The room had only one occupant browsing photos on one of the lab's computers: Victoria, her back towards Max.

_ I really don't want to put effort into Operation Gooey Center right now _ , Max thought,  _ I just want to go through my photos and get back in the groove. Victoria normally doesn't help with that kind of thing... _

Max quietly stepped into the room and walked to one of the larger tables. She chose a spot where she'd be facing Victoria's back and silently put her bag on the table. She wanted to try to organize her current photos into some semblance of...something. It was about time that she started to pick out photos that she could send to schools...or even to publications...and her lack of organization wasn't going to help that. And, as a side project, she'd been thinking about making some albums for herself.

_ I'll have to be super quiet to avoid any unwanted input from Victoria, _ Max thought,  _ I guess I could go back to my room...but I really don't want to do this on my floor or on my bed. These big tables are perfect for what I need. Ugh, silence it is _ .

She sat down as quietly as she could but a loud creak from the stool caused Victoria to jump and spin around. Max winced...so much for avoiding Victoria's attention.

"Oh, it's you," Victoria said. Max noticed that the sneer that Victoria typically displayed for her seemed significantly less prominent.

"I gave it about a fifty-fifty chance as to whether you'd show up here or be out getting wasted or something with your punk girlfriend," Victoria said.

Max stared and thought,  _ um...okay, I guess I  _ do  _ have to put some effort into Operation Gooey Center, as difficult as that feels right now. So the question is...do I ignore what she said, confront it, or redirect it? _

"So...what are you working on?" Max said, deciding to ignore Victoria's jab.

"You  _ cannot  _ be interested in what I'm doing," Victoria said, "which means something I said hit a nerve. Getting wasted, maybe? Moral Max never sips the bottle? Or maybe the girlfriend part? Maybe you wanted Chloe  _ in  _ the shower with you this morning?"

"Damn, Victoria, you really make this difficult," Max said, wrinkling her nose.

Victoria frowned and opened her mouth but Max rewound before Victoria could speak.

"...punk girlfriend."

Max opened her mouth to say something vague and dismissive about hanging out with Chloe later but stopped.

_ What if I just go with it? _ Max thought,  _ be all super chill and honest...well... _ mostly _ honest. Might be fun to see what happens. And if I mess up, I can just rewind. _

"Actually," Max said, smiling, "my punk girlfriend and I are going to hang out after class."

"Drinking, smoking pot, or fucking?" Victoria said with a smirk, "or all three?"

"Probably not drinking," Max said, surprised at how casual she was keeping her tone...surprise that was mirrored in Victoria's face, "Chloe likes beer and I  _ hate  _ beer so that's not happening. As for weed, that's probably off the table too. I've never tried it and Chloe knows that...so I think Chloe would give me some notice if she was going to offer." Max shrugged.

"As for sex…," she continued, "I don't know, Victoria. We haven't even been on a date...so I'm pretty sure sex isn't in the cards...and that's before getting to the question of interest. So yeah, it's probably just food, movies and music for us. And maybe, if we're feeling bold, sneaking around town. But that's good enough for us."

Max put as genuine of a smile on her face as she could, inwardly laughing at Victoria's confused expression.

"Yeah...that's good...great," Victoria said, "now, if you'll excuse me."

She spun back around to her screen, clicking through more photos.

_ If she were a robot _ , Max thought,  _ I'm sure, "does not compute...does not compute…" would be flashing in her brain...I think this is another win for Operation Gooey Center. _

Max grinned and began removing stacks of polaroid photos from her bag, scattering them on the table in front of her. Victoria glanced over her shoulder at the noise and a brief sneer touched her face...she opened her mouth but then closed it almost immediately, her brow furrowed, and returned her attention to her screen.

_ Wow _ , Max thought, her eyebrows raised,  _ that was  _ definitely  _ a win for Operation Gooey Center...she actually passed over an opportunity to make fun of me... _

Max started stacking her photos into piles according to category: animal shots, nature shots, place shots, selfies (which quickly became the biggest pile), and miscellaneous. Halfway through, she became frustrated and mixed them together again, deciding instead to sort them by where she took them. However, a few minutes in, she found herself unhappy with that as well.

She drummed her fingers on the table before saying, on a whim, "hey, Victoria? How do you organize your photos?"

Without turning, Victoria said, "by date."

"Er...what if you don't have the dates?" Max said.

"What do you mean?" Victoria said, turning around, "every photo is saved with...oh, right, analog retro zone."

"Yep," Max said with a smile, tapping William's old camera.

"Have you tried organizing by category?" Victoria said.

"Yeah, but it wasn't really clicking for me," Max said.

"Let me guess: the selfie stack was as tall as you are," Victoria said.

"I do have a reputation to maintain," Max said.

Victoria smiled and Max thought,  _ wowser, that's a  _ real  _ smile...from  _ Victoria _...at  _ me... _ who is this person and what has she done with Victoria Chase? _

"Then perhaps you should try organizing them by emotional impact," Victoria said, "how do you feel when you look at the photo? I'd also separate out any that have a very strong impact on you; those are probably your favorites and those are the ones you'll want to submit."

"Thanks, Victoria," Max said, "I'll try that."

Victoria nodded in response and turned back to her work.

Max began doing as Victoria suggested, although she found it difficult at first to decide which emotions she would use as her categories. She had to re-sort a few times as she went...but found herself decently satisfied with the resulting stacks.

_ It's sure as hell better than what I had before...which, admittedly, was nothing _ , Max thought.

She then reached into her bag and pulled out the emergency photos, most of which had been taken by Beta Max. Max had glanced through them before and agreed with what Beta Max had mentioned in the journal: they definitely were  _ not _ her best work. A few of them, however, impressed Max enough to add them to the other stacks.

She paused as she did so, feeling a pang of doubt.

_ Hmm...these  _ are  _ the emergency photos _ , she thought,  _ maybe I should keep them together. But...it's been a while since most of these were taken and I only took out...um...three so far. Seems okay to me _ .

She continued through the emergency photos and came across an out of focus shot of what appeared to be a wooden panel. She rotated it and peered at it carefully, finally deciding that it must be a desk. She was about to toss it but figured that Beta Max might have intentionally kept it; she placed it back in the emergency pile.

Max put away the remaining emergency photos and started putting her other photos into labelled envelopes. As she filled her last envelope, Victoria stretched at her seat and stood up, turning to look at Max with her arms crossed.

Max froze, holding a small stack of photos in the air.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Have you heard anything about our new photography teacher?" Victoria asked.

"No, nothing at all," Max said, "have you?"

"No," Victoria said, frowning, "and it's fucking annoying. One of the reasons I came to this school in the first place was for Mark Jefferson...um, his class, of course. How was I supposed to know he was a fucking psychopath? I should take Chloe's advice and go punch him in the face."

"I've been thinking about visiting him," Max said, anger bubbling inside, "and giving him a real verbal smackdown...really dig down to his deepest pride and tear it to shreds. I'd tell him that none of his photography will ever matter again because all he'll be remembered for is kidnapping and drugging girls...and for murdering one. I'd tell him that all of his work...everything he's  _ ever  _ accomplished...doesn't mean a  _ thing  _ anymore: all of his books are getting pulled from shelves and all of his photos are being taken down. I'd tell him...very clearly...that his entire legacy is being completely erased...except for the fact that he is a fucking monster."

Victoria listened with her mouth open in surprise.

"Holy shit, Max, you're devious," Victoria said, her lips curling into a smile.

"Think it would work?" Max said.

"Fuck yes," Victoria said, "please tell me if you're going to do it; I would give  _ anything _ to see his face when you lay that out."

Max nodded with a smile.

"Well, thanks for that, Max," Victoria said, grabbing her bag, "you made my day. Good luck with your photo organization."

"Thanks," Max said.

As Victoria made her way across the room, a sudden thought popped into Max's head.

"Hey, Victoria?" Max said.

"Yeah?" Victoria said, turning.

"Why don't  _ we _ teach the class?" Max said.

"What?" Victoria said.

"Why don't  _ we _ teach the photography class?" Max repeated, "until the new teacher arrives."

Victoria tapped her lips with a finger, thinking.

"You know," she finally said, "that's not a horrible idea. What are you thinking?"

"Well...Mr. Jefferson had a pretty detailed syllabus," Max said, "and you know  _ a lot _ about history and techniques. I think you'd be able to cover most or all of the topics that were planned for the next few weeks."

Victoria looked a little startled at the compliment.

"Er...thanks, Max," Victoria said, "but you said 'we'...what would  _ you  _ be teaching?"

"Um...I figured that without Jefferson's pompous lecturing, most of the topics will go much faster," Max said, "you...um...tend to be more to the point, after all."

Victoria nodded and Max continued, "so I figured that the rest of the time could be used for peer feedback. I'd lead us in providing constructive criticism of each other's work."

"I did always wonder why we weren't doing more of that," Victoria said, "but you're right, Mar...Jefferson  _ was _ such a pompous ass, which is so much more obvious in hindsight. Remember how he'd just grab someone's photos in lab and critique them himself?"

Max nodded and said, "I'll admit that he was good at balancing praise for good work with suggestions for improvement but it's true...we didn't get many chances to do that as a group."

Victoria nodded slowly.

"Alright, let's do this," she said, "I'll prepare notes for lecture and tell you how long each one will take. You prepare a format for constructive criticism and assign people to bring in photos. Two people per class, a few photos each?"

"Sounds good to me," Max said, "and we can adjust the format as we go."

"Excellent," Victoria said, "I'll send out an email to the class about this and we'll start with this tomorrow."

Max smiled and nodded.

Victoria left and Max sat alone in the photography lab.

_ Wowser _ , Max thought,  _ I think I've found a whole new branch of Operation Gooey Center...I'm actually planning out how to teach a class with Victoria Chase. Not the weirdest thing that's happened over the last couple of weeks but still way outside of normal. I...think I need to re-evaluate my definition of normal. _

Max finished stuffing her photos into their designated envelopes. She pulled out her phone to check for messages from Chloe just as the bell rang. None. A stream of worry began trickling into Max's mind...until she remembered that Chloe was doing  _ something  _ for their date. Max's worry fell away and she smiled. Then questions began bubbling up into her mind and she had to quickly shove them away.

_ If I start wondering about what this date is going to be like _ , Max thought,  _ I will drive myself crazy _ .

Max packed her bag and made her way through the throng of students in the hall to her Life Drawing class. As usual, the room's seats were arranged a pair of concentric circles and Max breathed a sigh of relief to see that Manny the Mannequin sat on the stool in the center of the room. Max knew, when she signed up for Life Drawing, that it would eventually involve drawing real people...real people that, at some point, would be nude. She didn't consider herself a prude...but the idea of sitting in a room with a bunch of her fellow students, staring at a naked person...and drawing them...made her insides twist. So far, they'd only used Manny, with Mrs. Welch posing the mannequin's limbs in various positions to get the class familiar with drawing the human form without having to worry yet about minute details. Max dreaded the day when there would be a person in the center of the room. She was sure she'd get over it, but that didn't do much to reduce her apprehension.

_ Why did I sign up for this class again? _ Max thought,  _ oh right...I wanted to 'stretch my artistic comfort zone.' _

She quietly snorted and chose her usual seat in the outer ring of desks and pulled out her Life Drawing notebook, papers, and pencils. Daniel was already in the room, sitting almost directly across from her. They waved to each other and Daniel went back to sketching...he was in his element here.

_ I wonder if Daniel...or any of the rest of the class...is as freaked out as I am about the prospect of drawing naked people _ , Max thought, sighing,  _ if Chloe ever did what she threatened and show up to model for this class, I would die _ .

Max imagined walking into the classroom to see Chloe sitting in Manny's spot, wearing a robe and a mischievous grin.

"Hi, Max," she imagined Chloe saying, "looks like I found a way to force you to watch me undress."

She then imagined Chloe slipping the robe off of her shoulders...and quickly squashed those thoughts as the rest of the class filed in.

Mrs. Welch stepped through the door at the exact moment the bell rang. Max had noticed weeks ago that Mrs. Welch smiled each time she did that

_ It must be a little game that she plays _ , Max thought.

For the first half hour of class, Mrs. Welch explained the day's poses for Manny, including details about the musculature involved. Max firmly believed that she'd learned more about human anatomy in this Life Drawing class than in any biology or health class she'd ever taken.

After Mrs. Welch finished the introduction, she made some minor adjustments to Manny and opened up the free drawing time.

Max glanced over at Daniel as they started, seeing him grin widely as he opened his sketchbook and squinted at Manny.

Max smiled at Daniel's obvious enjoyment and began her own sketch. She didn't think of herself as a particularly talented sketch artist...although Warren had told her otherwise when he'd caught a peek of her notebook. She felt a pang at that and thought, in a voice that sounded like Chloe's,  _ dude, stop giving yourself so much shit. You're hella talented...Warren thinks you're good and if you showed your sketches to other people, they'd probably say the same _ .

Max smiled slightly.

_ Okay fine _ , she thought,  _ I'm actually good at stuff _ .

_ Hell yeah you are _ , said the Chloe-like voice.

Max continued her sketch, drawing the ovoids that comprised Manny's body, erasing and penciling over any grievous mistakes. She found it interesting that she sketched in pen in her journal, where mistakes  _ couldn't _ be erased. And yet, she'd never really felt the need to correct mistakes there...she'd therefore begun to adopt the suspicion that her sketches and drawings were much better when she wasn't expecting anyone to look at them.

After just ten minutes, Mrs. Welch rotated Manny to give the class a new perspective; he was now facing nearly away from Max. For the next sketch, Mrs. Welch encouraged everyone to try to fill in some of the gaps in Manny's appearance to make him look more human.

After a few minutes of sketching, Max began to zone out...her eyes and hand seemed to work with minimal involvement from her brain. Her thoughts wandered and she imagined Manny having a shock of blue hair...and then Manny became Chloe in her mind, sitting on the stool with arms crossed above the skull on her tank top and a defiant scowl on her face (but with a subtle wink over at Max). Max smiled...that seemed like the pose Chloe would take: classic badass punk. Max absentmindedly sketched torn jeans over Manny's legs. She drew all the way to the torso before a thought struck her: Manny wasn't in the same pose that she was imagining Chloe in. The thought abruptly woke her out of her dreamy daze.

_ What am I  _ doing _?  _ Max thought, looking down at her half-complete sketch,  _ I'm not sure I should be drawing  _ Chloe  _ here… _

She began to erase and sketch over the jeans, realizing with some embarrassment that Mrs. Welch probably wanted them to draw Manny as if he were nude. She started drawing legs in place of the jeans and within a few minutes, she'd zoned out again and her mind wandered back to Chloe. This time, Max's daydreaming put Chloe in the same pose as Manny: turned mostly away with an arm stretched out above. Max imagined Chloe in her pajamas so that she could draw the legs properly. Soon her mind wandered further, taking permission from Mrs. Welch for Chloe's clothes to vanish. It was okay...Manny...or Chloe... _ was _ facing mostly away. Max sketched Chloe's back and shoulders. She sketched an arm to match the mannequin's before bringing her pencil back down to the lightly sketched ovoid that represented Manny's head. She sketched in hair...just like Chloe's as it looked from behind. She glanced up at Manny.

_ Hmm _ , she thought hazily,  _ the pose is twisted a little this way...so I think… _ , she drew a slight curve and then adjusted another curve,  _ and down there, you'd definitely see _ …, she drew another set of curves and a line...and then stopped, staring wide-eyed at her sketch.

_ Oh shit _ , Max thought,  _ I definitely just drew Chloe...naked _ .

She was about to flip the page and start over when Mrs. Welch's quiet voice came over Max's shoulder, making her jump, "Miss Caulfield, this is excellent work; excellent! I've noticed that your work tends to improve significantly when you let it come naturally."

Max managed a chuckle despite her rapidly reddening face and said, "yeah...me too."

"Well," Mrs. Welch said, looking down at a clipboard, "let me just mark this down as a job well done for today's work," she scratched a few notes down, "so no homework for you. I look forward to what you can do with a  _ real  _ model."

Max groaned inwardly.

Mrs. Welch wandered away and Max quickly closed her sketchbook to hide her work. She considered rewinding but did  _ not _ want to redo the entire class...particularly since it would add even more time before her date…

Max sat up straight at that thought and leaned over to look up at the clock: 3:45.

_ Holy shit,  _ Max thought, her eyes wide,  _ only fifteen minutes until Chloe picks me up! _

The butterflies in her stomach that had subsided throughout the day returned in abundance. She grinned widely, her feelings flipping back and forth between giddiness and nervousness.

_ I can't believe that I'm about to go on a  _ date _...a real date...with  _ Chloe _ ,  _ Max thought.

As if answering her thoughts, Max's phone buzzed.

Max glanced over and, seeing that Mrs. Welch was deeply engrossed in Daniel's work, grabbed her phone.

**Chloe** : yo maxaroni  
**Chloe** : on my way to pick you up  
**Chloe** : and i dont even need a pick up line  
**Chloe** : cuz u already said yes  
**Chloe** : hope ur ready  
**Chloe** : for awesomesauce

_ Ready?  _ Max thought,  _ oh crap...do I need to dress up? Or...I don't know...put on a fancy hat or something? What do people  _ do  _ to prepare for a date? Oh my god I hope I don't smell _ .

Max glanced around the room and, seeing that no one was looking her way, quickly ducked her head down to sniff under her arms.

_ Okay okay, no cause for alarm _ , Max thought,  _ I do not smell. Good. But do I need anything else? I...I'll just ask Chloe...she'll be cool with it...I think _ .

Max cringed and began typing.

**Max** : Hey, do I need to bring anything on this awesome date?   
**Max** : Or get dressed up or something?   
**Chloe** : dude, i bet ur sitting there   
**Chloe** : wondering if u need a fancy hat   
**Chloe** : amirite?

_ I swear she can read my mind _ , Max thought,  _ I guess that's what you get when you end up dating your best friend _ .

**Max** : Yeah pretty much   
**Chloe** : ha!   
**Chloe** : no dont need anything   
**Chloe** : wait   
**Chloe** : actually yes   
**Chloe** : u need to wear a big frilly hat   
**Chloe** : nice dress too   
**Chloe** : underwear optional   
**Chloe** : and perfume   
**Chloe** : like half a bottle   
**Max** : OMG   
**Max** : I would look (and smell) insane   
**Chloe** : i think youd look cute AF   
**Chloe** : but seriously   
**Chloe** : u dont need to do anything   
**Chloe** : date is with max   
**Chloe** : not fancymax   
**Chloe** : just want max!   
**Max** : :D   
**Chloe** : no   
**Chloe** : i take it back   
**Max** : :(   
**Max** : Imagine my face if you said that to me in person   
**Chloe** : dammit   
**Chloe** : shit   
**Chloe** : so cute and sad   
**Chloe** : in frilly hat and dress no underwear   
**Chloe** : fine i take back the take back   
**Max** : Aww thanks, Chloe   
**Max** : You're the best   
**Chloe** : and now i have that in writing   
**Chloe** : 10 minutes   
**Chloe** : be there   
**Chloe** : dont care if fancymax   
**Chloe** : or hipstermax   
**Chloe** : underwear still optional   
**Max** : dork

Max quickly shoved her drawing materials into her bag and packed up her notes. When the bell rang, she was first out the door and walked quickly through the hallways, dodging other students as they exited their classrooms.

She left the building and practically skipped down the stairs. She stopped at the curb, a huge smile on her face, and rocked backwards and forwards on her feet, her heart pounding.

_ Okay...now I can finally think about this: what did Chloe plan? _ Max thought, glad that she'd been distracted enough during the day to  _ not _ have that thought as her constant companion,  _ a special movie night? Maybe she bought Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within...or maybe she's taking us to a really nice place for dinner...er...wait, if that was it, she probably  _ would  _ have wanted me to dress up. Oh, or maybe she packed a picnic and we're going up to the lighthouse. _

Max's thoughts were terminated and her heart seemed to jump into her throat as Chloe's truck appeared and rolled towards her.

Chloe inched the truck to a stop in front of Max, grinning, her eyes covered by a pair of aviators. Max crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow but a smile tugged at her lips.

"'Sup," Chloe said with an upward nod.

"'Sup," Max responded, suppressing a laugh.

Chloe removed her aviators and hopped out of the truck, walking over to stand in front of Max.

"So," she said, "you ready to do this thing?"

"Hell yeah," Max said.

Chloe grinned and opened the passenger door, motioning Max inside.

"Ah, I'm liking this," Max said.

"Special date, special treatment," Chloe said.

"You mean I don't get special treatment otherwise?" Max said with a lopsided grin.

Chloe paused and said, "shit, yeah, I should probably think things through before I say them."

"That's okay, Chloe," Max said, "I'll just expect you to always open doors for me from now on."

"Yes, oh powerful time wizard," Chloe said, bowing, "all the better to get a nice view of your ass."

Max shook her head as Chloe laughed and returned to the driver's seat.

"So, butts aside, where are we going for this super secret date?" Max said.

"Nope, you find out when we get there," Chloe said, pulling the truck onto the road.

"Taking me to the lighthouse?" Max said.

"No, but that's a hella good idea...maybe next time," Chloe said.

"Hmm...taking me to the beach?" Max said.

"Well...hey, wait a second, you're just going to keep asking about places until you run out of options," Chloe said, "so nope, no more answers."

"Is it the Two Whales?" Max said.

Chloe snorted and said, "okay fine, that one I can say no to...awesome place, sure...but  _ not  _ for our first date."

Max liked the sound of that... _ our first date _ , she thought,  _ it feels so real now… _

They drove along the road away from Blackwell and into the woods. Max pursed her lips and watched the trees zip by.

_Where are_ _we going?_ Max thought, _this is taking us away from town...I hope she's not intending on having our first date at the Prescotts' house...er...she wouldn't, would she? I...I'll just trust that she knows what she's doing_.

"So, how was your naked drawing class?" Chloe said.

"No naked people yet, just Manny," Max said.

"Manny?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, Manny the Mannequin," Max said.

"Ha, clever," Chloe said.

"Mrs. Welch  _ did _ have us try to draw Manny as if he were real today," Max said, "and I ended up daydreaming and drawing y…"

_ Oh shit _ , Max thought, blushing,  _ I can't believe I just said that...maybe she didn't notice... _

Max turned to see Chloe looking at her, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"You drew who now?" she said.

"I...um...you," Max said, bowing to the inevitable.

"Are you saying that you drew  _ me _ ? In class?" Chloe said, "Max! I'm astonished. And...was this perchance a nude drawing?"

Max, her face growing substantially redder, said, "er...yes...kind of...but it was from behind…"

"That's what she said," Chloe interjected, earning her a smack on the arm.

"...and yeah...um...no clothes," Max finished.

" _ Please _ tell me you have that drawing," Chloe said.

"Yeah...it's in my bag," Max said.

"And please tell me you'll show me," Chloe said.

"Er...okay," Max said.

"Max, you are honestly super adorable," Chloe said.

"I can't believe I'm going to show you that drawing," Max said.

"Just pretend it's a feedback session," Chloe said, "aaaaand, here we are."

They drove around a bend in the road and Chloe pulled the truck off of the road, parking behind Frank's RV. Max thought that the spot looked vaguely familiar but she couldn't quite place it.

"We aren't having our date in Frank's RV, are we?" Max said.

"Oh yeah," Chloe said, stopping the truck, "figured it would give us insight into our future as RV travellers and would also provide a ready chaperone in the form of Frank."

Max raised an eyebrow.

"Max, we both know that if we're left alone, you'll be all over me," Chloe said, "I need to have someone to watch over us. You know, to protect my fragile innocence."

"I know that you're kidding...but I'm not sure how much of that was a joke," Max said.

"Everything, of course," Chloe said, " _ I'm _ the chaperone."

"What a phenomenally terrible idea," Max said, chuckling.

Chloe hopped out of the truck laughing and Max followed.

The RV door swung open and Frank stepped out.

"Finally," he called out.

"What the hell, dude," Chloe said, "I said I'd be back in, like, twenty minutes."

"Yeah yeah," Frank said, reaching behind him into the RV.

He pulled out a rectangular cloth box and a paper grocery bag, handing them over to Chloe. Max approached slowly.

"Ah, so you  _ are _ the one this is all about," Frank said, smiling at Max.

Chloe stepped over to Max with the bag in one hand and the box propped on her shoulder.

"Yep yep," Chloe said, "she's the one."

Those words made Max's heart flutter.

"She's been talkin' about you all day," Frank said.

"Frank's been helping; wouldn't've been possible without him," Chloe said.

"Wow...um, thanks, Frank," Max said.

"No problem," Frank said, "finally getting out and doing something. Feels good...anyways, you girls have a good time."

"Will do, Frank. See you later," Chloe said.

"Bye," Max said.

Frank waved and shut his door; the RV's engine sputtered to life and Frank drove away.

"Alright, G, let's go!" Chloe said, leading the way into the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of debate with myself about "fluff" in this story. There are a set of core questions that this story seeks to answer...which don't include things like "how do Max and Victoria deal with not having a photography teacher?"...so I was very tempted to just remove anything not directly related to those core questions. However, I ended up really liking some of the interactions and information that came out of these tangents to the story, particularly the ones that delve deeper into Max and Chloe's relationship. So, if something gave a new insight or new information about a relationship or a different angle on Max's life, I ended up keeping it, erring to the idea that most readers really like Max and Chloe and that hopefully you'll like spending more time with them. I did end up taking out some things...for instance, I actually had Max's lunch with Kate all written out...and the scene in a previous chapter where David admits his use of surveillance in the house was originally much longer. But while those had some nice elements to them, neither of them really offered anything _new_ , so I cut them out. Anyways, there are sort of three different types of passages in this story: 1. Core Question stuff, 2. Max & Chloe Relationship stuff, and 3. Life of Max stuff (which was what a lot of _this_ chapter was)...those categories aren't necessarily mutually exclusive and there's definitely some overlap...but, as the story progresses, 1  & 2 do become more prominent...


	5. First Date

"Where are we going? And what's in the bags?" Max said, straightening her messenger bag and trying not to stumble as she hurried to match Chloe's pace.

"It's not too far," Chloe said.

_This definitely seems familiar_ , Max thought, looking around, _I_ know _I've been here before...but when...oh...wait, I know where we're going!_

"Chloe," Max said, "are we going where I think we're going?"

"Probably," Chloe said, turning and grinning.

"Is it still there?" Max said.

"Yep," Chloe said.

They marched further into the woods and after rounding a thick clump of trees, it came into view: their old pirate fort.

Max stood motionless, her mouth open.

"I know, right!" Chloe said, beckoning Max forward.

The fort was something of a treehouse: a set of planks formed a squarish platform between the large lower branches of a tree in the center of a small clearing. More planks formed low rails along the sides. Max remembered there being a crude rope ladder up to the side...and that they'd decorated the rails, inside and out, with adolescent artwork. Now, though...the fort seemed _different_. Max tilted her head: it seemed slightly larger, the rails along the sides were far taller than she remembered...they were almost walls. As they stepped closer, Max could make out the faded remains of some of the old artwork on the lower parts of the rails...and there was a new, far sturdier-looking, rope ladder hanging from the side.

"Did you...fix this up?" Max said.

"Yep!" Chloe said, grinning as they came to a stop below the fort, "that's what we've been doing all day. Got some planks to reinforce the old floor. Then used the leftover planks to make something like real walls. Got a new ladder. And wait til you see inside."

Chloe reached up and easily slid the cloth box and bag onto the floor of the fort above.

_Height has its advantages_ , Max thought with a lopsided smile.

Chloe then climbed the ladder and disappeared into the fort. Max approached and looked up. Chloe smiled down at her from above.

"What are you waiting for? Get your hipster butt up here," Chloe said.

Max climbed the ladder gingerly...she had a great deal of respect for Chloe and a growing sense of respect for Frank, but neither of them were exactly engineers.

She made it to the top and almost fell back to the ground in surprise: the inside of the fort looked completely different from the bare space she remembered. It was now strung with lamps like those in her room at Blackwell and a pair of threadbare rugs covered much of the wooden floor. A pair of large bean bags sat at the edges and a makeshift table sat in the center; Max suspected that Chloe had taken it from her hideout at the junkyard. In fact, there were several items from the hideout here, including the dartboard and a small bookshelf. A HiFi sat on the bookshelf along with a small stack of CDs. And next to the HiFi was the vase with flowers that they'd left at Chloe's house the previous night.

Max ascended the rest of the way and stared at Chloe.

"Chloe," Max said, "this is amazing."

Chloe practically glowed with delight.

"I came up with this while you were sleeping last night. Just sort of popped into my head," she said, making an explosion gesture next to her ear.

"I am already _loving_ this date," Max said, pulling out her camera and taking a photo.

"Sweet! I know I must've done a hella good job if it deserves a Max photo!" Chloe said, ruffling Max's hair.

Max put her camera away and sat on one of the beanbags. She smiled up at Chloe, who leaned against the tree protruding through the opposite side of the fort.

"I don't even know what to say," Max said, "this is _so_ awesome."

"Oh, this isn't all of it!" Chloe said, grabbing the cloth box.

"In here," she continued, "is pizza. A ton of it. One large pepperoni for me because I'm normal. And for you, you always liked the weird flat bacon and broccoli and shit so I got you one of those...which, come to think of it, I guess the hipster signs were there early."

"I remember you always tried to look _so_ disgusted every time you took a bite from one of my slices," Max said, chuckling.

"I'm sure I'll have the exact same expression," Chloe said, reaching into the grocery bag, "I also had Frank pick up some beer," she pulled a pair of bottles out of the bag.

"Yuck," Max said, wrinkling her nose.

"...and because you _supposedly_ hate beer," Chloe continued, reaching back into the bag, "I also had him grab a bottle of wine." She pulled a bottle of red wine out of the bag.

"Chloe, you are totally killing this," Max said.

_Wow_ , Max thought, _I never realized that Chloe paid this much attention. She obviously put a ton of thought and work into this_.

"Oh yes, yes I am," Chloe said, "and there are two more things. One: I brought paint and markers and shit. Two: I brought music."

Chloe turned and popped a CD into the HiFi; Max immediately recognized the first song.

"Hey, this is one of my favorites!" Max said.

"I figured," Chloe said with a lopsided grin, "I asked for hipster music at the store and boom, here it is."

"I don't know, Chloe, this is _exactly_ the kind of music I listen to," Max said, "I'm finding it a little hard to believe that it was that easy."

"Okay, fine," Chloe said, "I saw part of a playlist on your phone a few days ago. I remembered enough of it to talk to the guy at the music store...future boss, by the way...and got some suggestions. I listened to a bunch and got some CDs that sounded the most...Max-ish."

Max stood up and walked over to Chloe, enveloping her in a tight hug.

"Thanks, Chloe," Max said, "I don't know what I did to deserve all of this."

Chloe wrapped her arms around Max's shoulders and said, "well, you did save my life."

"Oh, right," Max said into Chloe's shoulder.

"But honestly, take that away and you're still Max...and you deserve this. No matter what," Chloe said.

They stood in one another's arms, swaying to the music. Max leaned against Chloe's shoulder and smiled. No one had ever taken this much notice of her...no one had ever done _anything_ like this for her before. During the week that no longer existed, Max had been struck by Chloe's selfishness...and although Max had come to understand the reasons for Chloe's behavior, she'd missed the old Chloe from her childhood and had been so relieved when more and more of old Chloe emerged from the tatters of the angry and hurt girl that Chloe had become. And now, the echoes of the old Chloe were everywhere, hybridized into Chloe the punk. Max thought that the combination suited Chloe well. In fact she'd come to love it, just like she loved Chloe.

The song ended and another started; Max stepped back and had to wipe her eyes.

"Ha, score one for Chloe...finally," Chloe said with a grin.

"Huh, what do you mean?" Max said.

"Dude, you've been making me cry all week with all of the adorable shit you say and do," Chloe said, "completely ruining my image. It's about time that I returned the favor."

Chloe grinned and Max smiled back.

"Now, how about some pizza?" Chloe said, "I'm starving."

They pulled the two pizzas out of the bag and Chloe was delighted that they were still hot ("Everything going to plan!"). They dragged the bean bags over to the makeshift table and ate, pointing at spots in the faded artwork around them and joking about their old pirate games.

Chloe popped open one of her beers and then tackled the cork in the wine bottle.

"Seriously, what the fuck?" Chloe said, pulling on the corkscrew, "I knew I should have asked Frank to get one with a twist-off top."

"Try wiggling it back and forth a bit," Max said.

"That's...what...she...said," Chloe said, her voice strained as she pulled. The cork finally gave way with an audible pop and Chloe swore at it before pouring wine into a plastic cup for Max.

"Sorry," Chloe said, "I know this isn't very fancy. But I figured my mom would freak if I brought wine glasses out here and broke them."

"You mean if _I_ broke them," Max said, smiling, "we both know who the klutz is between the two of us."

"I wasn't going to say it," Chloe said, leaning back into her bean bag with a pizza slice in one hand and a beer in the other.

Max held her glass up and said, "how about a toast to an already awesome date."

Chloe leaned forward and tapped her bottle against Max's cup.

"And another," she said, still holding her bottle up, "to time travel!"

Max rolled her eyes but tapped her cup against Chloe's bottle, saying, "and how about...to not having to deal with getting shot at anymore."

"Here here," Chloe said, tapping Max's cup, "and...how about to friends being more than friends?" They tapped again, with Chloe winking and Max smiling sheepishly.

"And to many more dates," Max said. Tap again.

"And to innuendo!" Chloe said. Tap again.

"To science!" Max said. Tap again.

"Wait, what?" Chloe said, raising an eyebrow.

"Brooke and Warren do it...as a joke...I think," Max said, shrugging.

"Okay then...how about to them...and you...being crazy?" Chloe said, raising her bottle again.

"And to you being just as crazy, if not more," Max said.

"Yep yep," Chloe said, tapping Max's cup.

"And now," Chloe continued, "how about to finally drinking?"

"Sure," Max said, tapping Chloe's bottle and taking a sip. She hadn't had wine...or any alcohol...since the ill-fated wine tasting session with Chloe many years before.

Chloe tipped her bottle back and Max said, "remember our wine tasting session back in the ancient days?"

"Ha, do I ever," Chloe said, leaning back, "we spent so long trying to get that stain out. It's still there, you know."

"Yep, I saw it," Max said.

Chloe grinned and her eyes sparkled.

"What?" Max said.

"I just...this is just like old times but...different," Chloe said.

"No kidding," Max said, chuckling.

"Oh yeah, there's _that_ ...the whole time wizardry stuff," Chloe said, "but...dude, seriously, we're on a fucking _date_! I knew back when we were kids that I had a serious Max thing going on...but for the longest time I thought it was just, you know, BFF shit."

"And of course _I_ was completely clueless," Max said, putting her cup of wine down and grabbing another slice of pizza, "I had no idea at all until the...er...the week-that-never-was. Of course all of this is your fault...you and that kiss dare."

"Chloe Price for the win," Chloe said, tipping her bottle back.

"I am never going to be able to finish this pizza," Max said, staring at the slice in her hand.

"That's okay," Chloe said, "we can take leftovers home and finish them tomorrow or something..unless David gets to them first. Here, let me try one of yours."

Chloe reached across and grabbed a piece of Max's pizza. She gingerly took a bite and then scrunched her nose. She quickly dropped the piece back into the box.

"Hey," Max said, "the bite you took didn't even have any toppings!"

"Yeah, but I could _sense_ that they were nearby," Chloe said, wincing, "it's just not natural to put so many weird things on a pizza."

"It's perfectly normal," Max said, picking up Chloe's discarded piece and taking a bite.

Chloe had too much pizza in her mouth to respond.

"You know," Max continued, "I wouldn't have pegged you as such a romantic."

"Romantic?" Chloe managed as she chewed.

"Yeah," Max said, smiling, "you may be trying to downplay it with your dirty jokes but I see right through you, Chloe Price."

"Aha! I knew it! I knew you had x-ray vision, Super Max," Chloe said, "you've been checking me out this whole time, right through my clothes!"

"Nice try, Chloe," Max said with a grin, "but I'm not changing the subject, no matter how many innuendos you throw at me. _You_ are a romantic."

"Okay fine...maybe...but just for you," Chloe said, "oh shit...I can't believe I just said that."

"That's okay, Chloe," Max said, "I promise that if anyone asks, I'll tell them that you're all punk, inside and out...no romantic at all. We'll keep it our little secret."

Chloe grinned.

"Although, just so you know," Max continued, "I'm pretty sure that Dana and Juliet referred to your behavior with Beta Max as 'adorable'...so it may be too late."

"Eh, I'll roll with it," Chloe said, "if people know that I'm a badass punk _and_ that I'm all about that Max, they won't mess with you."

"And that means that I've got the best bodyguard anyone could ask for," Max said.

"And the sexiest bodyguard?" Chloe said with a wink.

"Oh yes, that too," Max said, grinning.

"Ooh, getting your flirt on. Well, G, you're pretty damn hot too, especially...oh shit, I almost forgot!" Chloe said, slamming her beer onto the table, "naked drawing! You drew! Of me! Show it now!"

Max sighed and reached into her bag, pulling out her drawing notebook and flipping to the drawing in question. She covered her eyes with one hand and held the book out, feeling it snatched from her hands almost instantly.

"Damn, Max," Chloe said, "I look pretty good here. You put a lot of detail into my butt."

"Oh my god," Max said, covering her face with both hands.

"Ha, you even included side-boob...side-boob!" Chloe said, laughing loudly.

Max groaned.

"Dude, this is hella hot...and really fucking _good_ too," Chloe said, "if you ever decide to take a break from your camera, you could _totally_ draw. Hell, I'm feeling pretty good about myself looking at this."

Max groaned at a different pitch.

"I'll take that as a thank you," Chloe said, "dude, I am seriously curious about this butt detail...did you take off my underwear at some point and then rewind?"

Max spread her fingers to peer through her hands at Chloe.

"Okay fine, I'm kidding, I know you wouldn't do that," Chloe said, "but...given where you put the most detail in this drawing...my guess is that you're most interested in my hair and my butt."

Max closed her hands.

"Oh, come on," Chloe said, dragging her beanbag closer to Max and reaching over to pry Max's hands away, holding them gently. A smile lit Max's red face.

"It's okay, Max. I'm sure if I drew you, I'd put a ton of detail into your butt and hair too," Chloe said.

Max's eyes widened and she playfully hit Chloe in the knee.

"It's all your fault," Max said, "joking earlier that you'd model for my class. I got that in my head and...well... _that_ happened."

"Oh, I wasn't fully joking," Chloe said, "I totally considered doing it after I said that...but I figured your embarrassment would outweigh the humor...although I'd kill to see your expression if you walked into your classroom to see me there, au naturale."

"I admit that that would be pretty hilarious...for you," Max said, "but remember what we mentioned before: you'd have an entire class staring at you for about an hour."

"I know, I know," Chloe said, "and the fun would wear off pretty quick. But...it _would_ be pretty funny though to see all of _their_ faces too...ooh, particularly someone like Warren...I wonder if he and Brooke have been au naturale together."

"I am _not_ finding out for you," Max said, recalling the journal entries about Chloe's attempts to pry into Warren's sex life.

"That's okay...fun to joke about, not sure I _actually_ want to know," Chloe said, sipping her beer.

Max sipped her wine, relaxing back into the bean bag.

"So, what do you think you want to do in Portland this weekend?" Max said.

"You mean other than stocking up on tats, weed, and beer?" Chloe said.

"Ew," Max replied.

"Yeah, I guess none of those are of Maximum interest for you, huh?" Chloe said, grinning.

"I don't know," Max said, "I could imagine maybe getting a tattoo at some point."

Chloe visibly brightened.

"Maybe," Max said, drawing the word out.

"Dude, that would be hella awesome," Chloe said, "what do you think you'd get?"

"Um...huh, I have no idea," Max said, "I guess...maybe a blue butterfly?"

Chloe's eyebrows raised.

"Max, that's really sweet," she said.

Max smiled and said, "I feel like it would be very appropriate."

"Then I'd get a deer...um...a doe that is," Chloe said, "that...is what you think your...um...spirit thingy is, right?"

Max nodded and Chloe continued, "if we're both doing that, we could get it matching somehow...you know, where we stand together and it completes it?"

"How elaborate would that have to be?" Max said, "I don't know if I could ever go for something like _that_." Max pointed at Chloe's right arm.

"Oh yeah, no. You definitely aren't as crazy as I am...I'm thinking it would be something smaller; maybe a shared background or something," Chloe said.

"The lighthouse?" Max said.

"Maybe...it would sure as hell fit," Chloe said.

"Just no tornado...or train...or bullets," Max said with a grimace.

"Yeah, fuck all that shit," Chloe said, "and damn, we just _actually_ planned a two-person tattoo...things are getting _serious_ now," she grinned, "if you're up for it, we can totally get them in Portland. I know a place...at least I _knew_ a place...probably still there."

"Where would we get it...on our bodies, I mean?" Max said.

"Butts, totally," Chloe said immediately, "that way, the images meet up when we put our butts together."

Max stifled the urge to either roll her eyes or laugh and said, as seriously as she could manage, "but Chloe, how would _we_ see it? It's kind of hard to look at your own butt."

"Full length mirror, of course," Chloe said, trying to take a sip of her beer and frowning at the empty bottle, "we'd get one _just_ to look at our awesome tat. And...other things, I'm sure."

"I know I've said it a billion times, but you really are a huge dork, Chloe," Max said.

"Yep yep...but I'm _your_ dork, G," Chloe said with a wink.

Max rolled her eyes and took a sip of wine as Chloe got up and walked over to a small contraption in the corner, flicking a switch. The lamps strung through the fort came to life, bathing the area in a soft yellow glow.

"What is that?" Max said.

"It's a car battery attached to some wires and shit," Chloe said, "it's how all of this stuff is powered. Frank knows some lady in town who can put together...fuck, anything. Just told her we needed to have some lights and a CD player and boom, she threw this together."

"Nice," Max said, "now we just need some cannons and a pirate flag."

"A pirate flag I can get...as for cannons, I'm sure Brooke or Warren could help us with that," Chloe said.

Max raised her eyebrows, saying, "really?"

"Oh yeah," Chloe said, "I remember enough from chem class to know that you can make things go bang real easy. And I seem to remember something about Warren telling us how to make a bomb?"

"True," Max said, smiling.

"Alright, we'll add it to our upgrade list," Chloe said, "oh hey, are you eating any more of your pizza?"

"No, I'm stuffed...but it was really good," Max said.

"If you say so," Chloe said, making a face.

Chloe put the leftover pizzas back into the cloth bag.

"Now it's your pick, G," Chloe said, "we've got music if you want to impress me with your dance moves."

"You would _not_ be impressed, trust me on that," Max said.

"Only way to get better is to practice," Chloe said, smiling, "but if you don't want to do that, I've got art supplies and we have all of these new blank walls. And we've got more wine," she held up the bottle, "and beer," she held up another beer bottle.

"Pour me another cup, Captain Chloe, and let's decorate this fort," Max said, holding out her cup.

"Arr," Chloe said in her pirate voice, "ye be talkin' a good plan, First Mate G-Max. Let's be paintin' this whole fort red...with Prescott blood!"

"That be a bit morbid, Cap'n," Max said, "besides, these here paints say 'acrylic'...not 'Blood of a Prescott.'"

"Arr, ye be right!" Chloe said, "we be havin' t' settle for good ol' paint. Better t' decorate with anyways since blood only comes in red."

Max laughed and took a long sip of her wine.

They grabbed the bag of art supplies that Chloe had scrounged and began to decorate. They painted a crude pirate ship on the largest "wall" of the fort, manned by caricatures of themselves. The pirate Max and Chloe looked almost exactly as they did years ago...except for the blue hair on the new version of Captain Chloe Bluebeard.

When they finished with the pirate ship, they painted a doe and a blue butterfly on another surface...with the lighthouse behind them.

"Think this might be the tattoo?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said with a smile.

"Oh, and to _actually_ answer your earlier question: I think this tat would look perfect on our arms," Chloe said, "still up for butt tattoos though."

Max rolled her eyes.

They continued along the walls, drawing representations of their adventures over the last days, weeks, and years...choosing to stick to the happier events from those times. Max felt a little like a caveperson, recording history with crude figures on the walls. She pulled out her camera and took a shot of Chloe painting a figure of herself in a bird-like costume. Then she spun the camera around and took a selfie of herself in front of the pirate ship art. She was loving the way that their cozy, eccentric fort juxtaposed with the branches and leaves around them; she took several more photos in between drawing and painting on the wall. When a raven landed in a branch above and squaked at them, she took a shot of that as well.

By the time their hands were tired from painting and drawing, the sun had sunk below the treeline and Max and Chloe dragged the beanbags over to the side of the fort, sitting down and watching the sky change color. The sky turned from orange to red to purple. A light breeze played through the trees and Chloe put an arm around Max's shoulders, pulling her close.

"Chloe," Max said, "thank you so much for this."

"Thanks for saying yes," Chloe said softly.

"If you would have asked me two weeks ago…," Max said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Chloe said with a chuckle.

"I missed you so much, Chloe," Max said, "and before all of this crazy stuff happened, I don't think I realized just how much."

"Ha, yeah, filling each other's holes," Chloe said.

"Um...what?" Max said.

"Oh...right...it was something I said to Beta Max. And she completely missed the opportunity for an _amazing_ joke...it was just that I had a Max-shaped hole in my life and you had a Chloe-shaped hole in yours," Chloe said.

"Ah, got it...and that's totally true," Max said, "I...was a little concerned there for a second."

"What, don't want to hit a homerun on your first date?" Chloe said with a smirk.

"Wouldn't that be very unladylike?" Max said, raising her wine cup and sipping with her pinky out.

"Ah...quite...indeed," Chloe said, "and it would be very unladylike of me to ask it, verily yes and such." She held up her beer bottle and took a sip with her pinky out.

"What _are_ the bases, anyways?" Max said.

"Um, I think first base is making out or something. Second base is...um...feeling each other up?" Chloe said.

Max shrugged beneath Chloe's arm.

Chloe continued, "third base definitely has something to do with getting your hands in each other's pants...and home run is sex. Definitely sure on that last one."

"Okay," Max said, "and we've...um...this is kind of complicated."

"Er, I think you've been to... _almost_ first base with...um...original me and I've been totally on first with Beta Max," Chloe said, "which...yeah...a little awkward."

"The wonders of time travel," Max said, sipping her wine.

Chloe chuckled and Max rested her head on Chloe's shoulder. They watched as the sky turned dark blue.

_This is so perfect_ , Max thought, _who would've known that Chloe could be so romantic? I'm...more than a little blown away by this. I wonder what my thirteen year-old self would've thought if she would've known that her best friend had a crush on her...and that she'd totally be into it. Hmm...thirteen year-old me was even more romantically clueless than present day me so maybe her head would've just imploded_.

Max glanced up at Chloe, whose face was softly lit by the lanterns bobbing gently above. Chloe looked...serene...her eyes half closed and a gentle smile on her face.

_She has a beautiful face_ , Max thought, _and beautiful eyes and beautiful everything and holy crap I don't think I've ever quite_ realized _that before._

Chloe glanced down and saw Max looking up at her.

"Checking out my face?" Chloe said.

"You're beautiful," Max said.

"Whoa, Max," Chloe said, "sounds like you've had too much wine."

"Maybe...but it's true," Max said.

"So are you, Max. Beautiful," Chloe said, twisting to wrap Max in a hug.

Max laughed into Chloe's shoulder.

"What?" Chloe said, releasing Max and sitting back.

"I was just thinking about when we were younger," Max said, "what we would've thought of this."

"Ha, I think I would've been ecstatic," Chloe said, "I'd've started out a little confused and then been like, 'oh yeah, totally makes sense.'"

"I'm pretty sure I would've been _hella_ confused," Max said, getting a chuckle from Chloe, "but I think I would've gotten there too."

Chloe smiled and then glanced up.

"Shit," she said, "it's getting pretty dark and this date ain't over yet."

"There's more?" Max said, her eyebrows rising.

"Oh yeah, we're heading up to Casa de Prescott to jack Nathan's sweet audio system and then we're breaking into the Blackwell pool to have a kick ass dance party," Chloe said.

"I find it...fascinating that I'm only about seventy percent sure that you're kidding," Max said.

"Good, that means I'm keeping it interesting," Chloe said, standing up.

"Um...you _were_ kidding, right?" Max said, standing too.

"Yeah...but you _do_ still owe me a Blackwell pool break-in," Chloe said.

"I don't know, Chloe, we're both on David's good side at this point," Max said.

"That's what rewinding and teleporting are for!" Chloe said, switching off the HiFi and spilling the stack of CDs into a bag.

"Okay, I see that there's no convincing you out of it," Max said, "but maybe we should focus on our awesome Portland trip first...and we have a Halloween party to get costumes for."

The mysteries that they'd discussed in the morning floated to the top of Max's mind as well. She felt a pang of worry and almost mentioned that they should figure those out too...but decided not to drag the mood down.

"Ooh, good distractions, Max, I tip my hat to you," Chloe said, bowing, "I am so fucking excited for Portland...and we're going to rock that Halloween party hard."

Max smiled.

_Mysteries can wait_ , she thought.

"Oh hey," Max said, glancing around at the fort's furnishings, "if we're leaving here, don't we need to take all of this stuff with us?" Max said.

"Nah, we're good," Chloe said, "as far as I can tell no one's actually been out here in the last five years. No trash heaps or needles or beer bottles or graffiti."

"Even though the location is marked on the map at the lighthouse?" Max said, her head tilted.

"Yeah, turns out that most of the kids around here find it way easier to smoke and drink at the lighthouse or on the beach. Besides, it's like a 10 minute walk from the road to here and they're way too lazy to do that," Chloe said, switching off the lanterns.

The fort plunged into darkness, a nearly full moon illuminating the forest around them.

"This is kind of spooky," Max said, pulling her phone out and lighting the flashlight.

"Yeah," Chloe said, "I kind of meant to leave before this. My bad...but I partially blame having a Cuddle Max."

"The side effects of a Cuddle Max are clearly stated on the side of the box," Max said, "you have to take responsibility for your use of one."

Chloe grinned.

"Oh," Chloe continued, "and most of the stuff in this fort was either free or hella cheap...so if someone really wants to take it, power to them. Here...if you climb down, I'll hand the bags down. I just need to take the food...and the drinks...and the flowers...and the CDs...and the HiFi."

Max climbed to the ground and Chloe passed the bags down. After Chloe descended, she detached the rope ladder and hung it around her shoulders.

"This will also discourage pillaging," Chloe said.

"Well, if someone does pillage our fort, these pirates may just have to go on some raids to get our stuff back," Max said.

"Yeah, those fuckers would have no idea that they messed with a time wizard and her faithful sidekick," Chloe said.

As they stepped away from the tree, their phone lights illuminating their path, Max felt a sudden chill.

She stopped.

Chloe took two more steps before stopping and turning around.

"Yo, G, you drop something?" Chloe said.

Max held a finger up to her lips and Chloe's smile disappeared.

Max turned slowly, looking carefully at the forest around them. A spot in the trees off to the right drew her gaze.

_There_ , she thought.

She stared at the spot and the chill seemed to hold steady in her spine, the same strange feeling that she'd felt twice before. The noise of crickets and birds seemed to fade.

"Max?" Chloe whispered, "what is it? What's going on?"

As Max continued to stare at the spot, the chill began to subside and the noises of the night seemed to return.

"I...I'm not sure," Max said.

"Should we go check it out?" Chloe said, starting to step towards where Max had been staring.

"No," Max said, the sharpness in her voice bringing Chloe to a halt.

"You sure?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said, the strange feelings disappearing entirely, "I...maybe it was nothing. I just felt like someone was there and now they're going away...it was like last night."

Chloe frowned.

"Let's go," Max said, "I think we're okay."

"Okay," Chloe said, "I'm seriously creeped out right now but...I trust in Max."

"Thanks," Max said, managing a smile.

Chloe smiled back and said, "okay, let's get out of here...and put cannons at the top of our list for upgrades to the fort."

They walked back towards the road, their phones lighting the way. Max glanced over her shoulder every few moments...but the chills didn't return.

"So," Chloe said, "what do you think was there? Rachel?"

"I don't think it was Rachel," Max said, "maybe...maybe I just imagined the feeling and it was a squirrel or something."

"Hey, maybe it was Samuel!" Chloe said.

"Oh my god, if I ran into Samuel in the woods at night, I'd scream my fucking head off," Max said, "I like him but that would be too much."

Chloe laughed.

"Well," she said, "as long as it's not someone shooting at us..."

"Yeah," Max said.

It then occurred to Max that if someone _were_ to shoot her, rewinding wouldn't save her.

_The bullet would come with me_ , Max thought, _and then there'd be no one to protect Chloe_.

She shook her head before that thought could put down roots in her mind.

_If someone was trying to shoot me, that would've been the perfect opportunity back there_ , Max thought, _it's just the two of us out alone in the woods at night...whoever or whatever that was, they apparently don't want to kill us…_

She briefly wondered if that statement should end with a 'yet.'

Before she could think about it further, they'd arrived at the truck and Max breathed a sigh of relief.

"So, where are we going?" Max said, climbing in.

"Strip club," Chloe said, "where I'll be giving you a private show."

"I'm guessing that means you're not going to tell me where we're going," Max said with a lopsided smile.

"Nah, we're going back to my place," Chloe said.

Chloe kept her tone light as they drove away...but Max noticed that she glanced frequently at the mirrors as they drove. When the lights of Arcadia Bay came into view, Max could see Chloe's shoulders relax and Max managed to bury her worry, reassuring herself with the thought that nothing bad had happened, even though they'd been essentially defenseless out there.

They arrived at Chloe's house and carried the bags in. As they walked through the front door, Joyce leaned out from the kitchen.

"Hello, you two," she said, "where've you been?"

Max and Chloe looked at one another. Max wasn't sure if Chloe was ready to openly admit to Joyce that they were now dating.

_Holy shit_ , Max thought, _we are_ totally _dating now!_

Max kept quiet and Chloe said, "um...we were out at our old pirate fort. We had some pizza and stuff and decorated the walls a bit."

"Chloe fixed it up while I was in class," Max chimed in.

_Might as well spill more details, especially since the whole thing makes Chloe look so good...and besides_ , Max thought, taking in Joyce's grin and sparkling eyes, _it looks like Joyce is well aware that we just came back from a date_.

"Chloe, that is so sweet," Joyce said, "I'm so proud of you. It looks like you both had such a good time." She walked over and wrapped Chloe in a hug.

"Er, it was just boards and lights and stuff," Chloe said.

"The small things make all the difference," Joyce said, turning and hugging Max.

Footsteps sounded from above and they looked up to see David descending the stairs.

"Oh, hello," David said from the stairs, "I'm glad I caught you before bed...I...look, I wanted to apologize again about the cameras. It wasn't right for me to put them up and hide it from you. It was...very generous of your mother to forgive me for what I did."

Joyce looked from David to Chloe, a hint of strain on her face.

"Dude," Chloe said, "you didn't record me changing or anything so sure, yeah, I forgive you too," Chloe said.

Joyce smiled and David said, "Thanks, Chloe, and I _am_ sorry."

"Yeah, well, we all make mistakes," Chloe said, "even me...every once in a while."

Joyce snorted.

She then looked to Max. Chloe looked at her too...and David glanced at her as well.

_Wait...what am I supposed to say?_ Max thought, her eyes widening, _why is everyone looking at me? I'm not really involved in this...not in this timeline, at least_.

She glanced between David, Chloe, and Joyce, thinking. She decided to try something a little...out of her comfort zone.

_If it's too much_ , she thought, _I can always rewind_.

"Um...I don't know, David. You said part of the reason for the cameras was to keep an eye on dangerous people...but you may have made a mistake in assuming that _I'm_ not dangerous," Max said, eliciting eyebrow raises from everyone, "after all, I did spill wine all over the floor a few years ago. Defending this house against me might not be a bad plan."

Joyce laughed, Chloe chuckled, and David smiled. Max grinned back.

"Oh, Max," Joyce said, "you are full of surprises."

"You have no idea," Chloe said.

Chloe began to step towards the living room but David spoke up again.

"Chloe, one more thing," he said.

Chloe stopped with one foot in the air and looked up.

"I...heard a rumor today from one of my guys at Blackwell," David said, "he's friends with a former security guard who's in a band...um...piss-something…"

"Oh yeah, Skip from PissHead," Chloe said. Max raised an eyebrow.

"...right," David continued, "and _he's_ friends with the guy who owns the music store on…"

"Oh no," Chloe said.

"Is it true?" David said.

"What's going on?" Joyce said, her brow furrowed in concern.

"Chloe?" David said.

"I...um...got a job," Chloe said.

Joyce's jaw dropped and David smiled...it was the widest smile Max had ever seen from David.

"You...you did?" Joyce said, "you aren't pulling our legs?"

"Nope," Chloe said, wincing, "it's true. Part time gig over at the music store. I start in a few weeks after the current guy leaves."

Joyce stared at Chloe with an open mouth.

"Chloe, I'm very proud of you," David said, "this is the start of something good...very good."

"Thanks...and...um...might as well let all the cats out of the bag: I'm also going to take some classes at Bay State College," Chloe said, cringing a little.

"I think I might just faint," Joyce said; she grabbed Max's hand and said, "did you have something to do with this?"

"Um…," Max said.

"Yeah, she kinda did," Chloe said, grinning, "kind of a perspective shift when you get shot and then get your best friend back."

Joyce turned back to Chloe and said, "Chloe, I am so proud of you too. So proud." She stepped forward and wrapped Chloe in a tight hug.

"Whoa," Chloe said, patting Joyce on the back, "thanks, mom."

"Stick with it," David said.

After a few minutes of questions and answers between Joyce, David, and Chloe, David went back upstairs and Joyce grabbed a pair of mugs from the kitchen.

"So, what are you two going to do now?" Joyce asked, a wide smile still on her face.

"Um...we're going to watch Max's favorite movie," Chloe said.

"You have Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within?" Max said, her eyes wide.

"The what and the what now?" Joyce said.

"It's really cool, Joyce," Max said, "it's a photorealistic animated movie about a future Earth where it appears that aliens invaded and…"

"Whoa, Max," Chloe said, "I promise I'll have my mom read the DVD cover."

Max smiled and said, "it's good; I'll leave it at that."

"Honestly, I can't understand most of what you two watch," Joyce said, shaking her head, "but I'm sure you'll have fun. I'm taking this tea up and going to bed a happy mother."

Max pretended not to notice as Chloe turned away to 'wipe some dust out of her eye.'

As soon as they reached the living room, Chloe grabbed a brand new DVD from the TV cabinet and handed it to Max, who excitedly tore the packaging off as Chloe put the leftover pizza in the fridge and hauled the remaining fort items upstairs.

Chloe returned in her pajamas, finding Max standing by the couch and reading the insert in the DVD package.

"Yo, G, sorry I took so long. Had to change my bandage," Chloe said.

Max looked up with a sad expression.

"Oh, it's fine," Chloe said, "way better than the alternative...see…"

She lifted her shirt to reveal the white bandage.

"Ouch," Max said, "how much longer do you need it?"

"Er...like, just a day or two?" Chloe said, "honestly I think I was allowed to take it off a couple of days ago but...well…"

"You like showing it to people?" Max said, smiling and putting a hand on her hip.

"Yeah, that," Chloe said.

"Well, if you need any help with it, just ask," Max said.

"Ooh, want to get your hands all over me?" Chloe said.

"You are unbelievable," Max said.

"I have a reputation to keep...and hey, you want to change into pajamas?" Chloe said, "I'll get the movie set up."

"Sure," Max said, "and thank you so much again for tonight...this has been so incredible."

"For me too, Max," Chloe said, "me too."

Minutes later, Max plopped back onto the couch in her pajamas, scooting over to press up against Chloe. Chloe smiled, put her arm around Max's shoulders, and started the movie.

**. . . . .**

When the credits rolled, Chloe stood up and stretched.

"Dude, I forgot that the ending was kinda sad," Chloe said.

"It's definitely bittersweet," Max said, "I love this movie but...I do usually prefer happy endings."

"I won't tell any of the other hipsters you said that. I'm sure they all prefer tragic endings," Chloe said.

"It's true," Max said, "to get my official Hipster ID, I had to watch seven tragic artsy European films and pretend that I loved them."

"Ouch," Chloe said, "my official Punk ID just required me to rock out like a maniac for fifteen minutes."

"The requirements for being outside of the cultural mainstream are quite stringent, you know," Max said.

"The irony is palpable," Chloe said.

"It wouldn't be hipster if it wasn't ironic," Max said, followed by a yawn.

"Well, I was going to suggest skinny dipping at the beach," Chloe said, "but first: I'm sure that would remind you of Jaws..."

Max shuddered

"...and second: you look hella tired," Chloe finished.

"Yeah...and so do you," Max said.

"Then to bed it is," Chloe said.

"After the most amazing date in history," Max said.

Chloe bowed.

They made their way upstairs and Max, remembering that she should be taking emergency photos, snuck over and took a shot of Chloe brushing her teeth. After brushing her own teeth, Max returned to the bedroom to find Chloe lying on the bed, patting the spot next to her. Max closed the door, smiling.

"Your cuddle spot awaits," Chloe said, "er...actually," she shifted and sat up, "are you...okay sleeping in the same bed as me? It's not...I don't know, awkward? Now that we're...um...dating?"

"Dude, I slept in the same bed as you for _years_ ," Max said, "I'd feel weirder if I didn't."

She turned out the light and sat down on the bed next to Chloe. She could see Chloe's face relax in the moonlight.

"Okay," Chloe said, grinning, "just wanted to make sure."

She dropped back to her pillow and Max laid down, facing her.

"This really was an amazing night, Chloe," Max said.

"I'm glad," Chloe said, "I've spent so long finding ways to fuck up and destroy things...to get angry and sad...it felt so good to do something like this...especially for the most important person in my life."

She reached over and placed a hand gently on Max's cheek.

Max put her hand on Chloe's and said, "thanks, Chloe, you knocked it out of the park. I don't know if I could match that."

"Don't you dare worry about that," Chloe said, "just having you around is more than enough. You've given me so much love and adventure...let's just keep rolling and see where this takes us."

"Agreed," Max said.

Chloe smiled.

Max scooted closer and wrapped an arm around Chloe's shoulders and they soon fell asleep.

**. . . . .**

Max sat up.

_Huh what?_ she thought, rubbing her eyes.

She glanced around; the room was dark and Chloe slept soundly beside her. Max smiled at the sight…

But then she frowned.

_I was just dreaming...about something_ , Max thought, _trees...night…_

She had a sneaking sensation that something had been important about the dream...but she could only remember the barest of images.

She rolled out of bed and padded silently towards the center of the room, stretching her arms out and trying to clear her head.

_What was it?_ Max thought, _and...ugh, why am I even trying to remember? Geez, a couple of tornado visions and every dream feels like it could…_

Her thoughts came to a sudden halt as she caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye. She turned towards the window and gazed out.

There, on the other side of the street, stood a figure.

Max squinted.

The person stood partially illuminated by a driveway light. Max thought that it looked like a man but wasn't completely sure. The person seemed to be staring across at Chloe's house, holding something in front of their chest.

Max glanced down at Chloe's desk and tapped a button on Chloe's phone; it showed 3:16 AM. She turned her attention back to the person across the street.

_There's no way this is a coincidence. No one stands staring at a house at three in the morning for no reason_ , Max thought.

As she watched, the person appeared to put something into a pocket and pull out what looked like a notebook or journal. The figure seemed to write something in it, put it away, and then they slowly strolled away.

Max frowned.

Something _is going on_ , she thought, _and we have all of these weird people following us around...plus that list of unsolved mysteries._

She clenched her fists.

_I'm_ not _going to let this mess with Chloe and I...not after I just got her back. But we_ are _going to solve this_.

All thoughts of her dream had vanished and Max felt tired again. She looked up and down the street once more. The figure had vanished and the only thing moving was a black bird on the roof outside of the window, which looked at Max and tilted its head.

_Don't ask me_ , she thought at the bird, _I have no fucking idea what this is all about_.

She retreated from the window and carefully settled back into the bed. Chloe grunted but didn't wake. Max gazed over at Chloe's sleeping form until she fell into an uneasy sleep.


	6. A Gentle Fire

Chloe blinked slowly. Out in front of her, a small orange light flickered.

_ What the fuck?  _ she thought.

She groaned and pushed herself up, her hand encountering dirt.

She stared for a moment at her hand...and then realized that she was wearing her jacket...and a tank top...and her jeans and boots.

She glanced around sharply, suddenly feeling very awake. She couldn't see anything around her...the only illumination came from the flickering light. She focused on that: a small fire. Behind the fire was a large rock...and an empty bench and a tree further away; it all looked vaguely familiar. Sitting on a cinder block in front of the fire was a man, facing away from her.

Chloe stood and walked carefully and quietly towards the fire.

She stepped into the light and leaned over to see the face of the man staring into the fire. Her eyes widened.

"Dad?" she said softly.

"Hi, Chloe," William said, turning and smiling at her.

_ How is this happening?  _ Chloe thought,  _ I haven't...this hasn't happened in years _ .

"You must be wondering what I'm doing here," William said.

Chloe nodded.

"Have a seat, sweetie," he said, gesturing to a cinder block at Chloe's feet.

Chloe sat down; William had turned his stare back to the flames.

"Um...no marshmallows this time?" Chloe said.

William chuckled.

"Seems like you don't really like them all that much," William said.

"Yeah...sugar is more of a Max thing," Chloe said, holding her hands out to the fire.

William glanced over and smiled.

"Going to warn me not to get burned?" Chloe said, raising an eyebrow.

"Nah, not this time," William said, chuckling, "this is a gentle fire...the kind that gives life and light. Life and light in the cold and dark. It's the kind that leads you home when you're lost. Of course, I wouldn't be a very good dad if I didn't tell you that you  _ always _ need to be careful with fire... _ any _ fire. Small fires like this need to be tended and nurtured...or they might go out. And if you're not careful, even the gentlest of fires can consume...and  _ strike _ ."

A silent bolt of lightning flashed in the darkness and Chloe jumped.

The bolt had illuminated a tall cylinder nearby...and Chloe realized that they were sitting by the lighthouse.

"Shit, dad, maybe a little warning next time?" Chloe said.

He smiled at her and said, "have to have a little fun from time to time. Where do you think you get your devious ways?"

Chloe raised an eyebrow.

William turned back to the fire, humming softly. They sat silently for a few moments. Chloe looked around but couldn't see the lighthouse...or the edges of the cliffs that should have been around them.

"One thing I will tell you, Chloe, is that I'm proud of you," William said, drawing Chloe's gaze back to him, "so proud. With everything you've been through...I couldn't  _ be  _ prouder."

"I...thanks, dad," Chloe said

_ Is this really my dad? _ Chloe said,  _ or just my own brain fucking with me? Or maybe it doesn't matter? _

She paused before saying, "hey...um...I got a job...and...I'm going to take some classes...at Bay State."

"A job? You?" William said, grinning, "I guess the world must be coming to an end."

"Dad!" Chloe said, kicking dirt at him.

William chuckled and said, "even more for me to be proud of, sweetie. You're growing up and starting a life for yourself. And school...I'm glad you're going back," he chuckled again, "you know, I remember all of those science projects you put so much work into...all of the books you read...coming home to tell your mom and I all about dinosaurs...about space...about fire and wind and storms."

"None of it would have been possible without Max," Chloe said, staring into the fire.

William twisted on his seat to fully face Chloe.

"You know, I wondered about the two of you, back in the day," he said, "nice to see I could get something right."

Chloe smiled.

"Max is a special girl," William said, "and not just because she saved  _ my  _ little girl."

"I know," Chloe said.

"You hold onto her, Chloe," William said, "don't you ever let her go."

Chloe nodded.

"She's...I love her, dad," Chloe said, "and not just because she saved my life and shit. I...think I've loved her for a long time. She's...just the most amazing person. She looks at everything with such wonder...and she's never judged me...she just...doesn't judge...and, fuck, she's beautiful too."

William smiled and said, "you two were always so good together...inseparable. You make one hell of a good pair."

"Yeah," Chloe said.

"And speaking of beauty," he said, "... _ that _ was beautiful too, wasn't it?"

He was staring at something over Chloe's shoulder so she turned and saw the outline of the hills to the north of Arcadia Bay, ablaze with fiery light.

_ Been a long time since I've seen  _ that, Chloe thought,  _ Rachel's forest fire...she did always put on one hell of a show...even when she didn't intend it _ .

"And, if I'm honest,  _ that's _ beautiful too," William said.

Chloe turned back and immediately cried out. She scrambled to her feet, her heart pounding.

The whole bay was visible now...and in the center was a massive tornado. It glowed with an unearthly blue light, water churning at its base and narrow forks of lightning flashing across the sky.

"Fuck...no...no way," Chloe said, her eyes wide.

Wind and rain lashed out in all directions...and yet no rain fell on her or William...and no sound reached them. Only the warmth of the fire and a gentle breeze seemed to touch them.

"Don't worry, sweetheart," William said, smiling up at her.

"Don't  _ worry _ ?" Chloe said, "are you  _ serious _ ? That...that's  _ exactly _ what Max described to me...that's...it's what she caused by saving my life the first time. That fucking thing was going to destroy the whole town."

"What  _ she  _ caused...interesting," William said.

Chloe stared down at him.

"Sweetie, that storm out there is long gone...just like me," he said, smiling, "but, just like me, it's still a part of you...but you don't have to be afraid. Not when you have a gentle fire."

William turned his gaze and his hands back to the fire.

Chloe opened her mouth to speak but her gaze was drawn back to the massive tornado: as she watched, it dissolved into pinpricks of electric blue. Chloe squinted: the tornado had become a cloud of butterflies that soared out in all directions. And then the bay disappeared into impenetrable blackness.

Chloe turned her gaze back to the fire, her mind whirling.

_ That thing is fucking...terrifying...no wonder Max was so freaked out. I mean... _ fuck _. But why the hell did it come  _ here _? Why in my dream...or whatever this is? What does  _ any  _ of this mean?  _ she thought.

She opened her mouth again to ask a question but movement caught her eye and she turned to see a figure emerge from the darkness, strolling atop the boulder next to the fire and dropping down to sit at the edge.

Chloe's knees felt weak.

"Rachel?" she said.

Rachel smiled up at her and winked.

Everything went black.

**. . . . .**

Chloe's eyes flew open.

_ What the fuck...what the fuck just happened? _ she thought.

She stared up at the ceiling...the familiar ceiling of her room, lit with faint pre dawn light. She turned to see Max facing her, asleep with an uncharacteristic frown.

_ Shit, I hope  _ she's  _ not having crazy-ass dreams too _ , Chloe thought,  _ I...I haven't had those dreams in years...and even then I always thought...I thought it was all in my head. Just my subconscious or some shit. But now? Was that... _ really  _ my dad? And...was that really Rachel? _

Chloe clutched the covers, her mind racing.

_ Were they trying to tell me something? _ she thought,  _ but  _ what _? _

She went over the dream again and again, burning every word and image into her memory. But her mind's gears turned slower and slower, her eyelids becoming heavy.

Her eyes closed and she fell asleep to William's voice saying, "...hold onto her, Chloe…"


	7. Ruminations

Max woke to sunlight streaming into Chloe's room. She tilted her head to the left, smiling at Chloe sleeping peacefully next to her.

Max sighed and then yawned quietly. She thought back to the previous night and her brow furrowed. So many spooky things going on...but...so many good things...

Memories of Chloe's meticulously-planned date filled Max's head and she lay back, staring at the ceiling, a peaceful smile replacing concern on her face.

Suddenly, an arm and a leg pinned Max in place and Chloe's voice boomed in her ear, "Max attack!"

Max jumped under Chloe's arm and yelled, "shit! How can you manage to get the jump on me when I'm literally right next to you!"

"Because I'm a lethal stealthy shark," Chloe said, tightening her arm and leg around Max, "and you're a cute little otter floating on the surface, completely unaware."

"Yeah, well this otter has dexterous paws," Max said, reaching underneath Chloe's arms to tickle her sides.

"Fuck!" Chloe yelled, rolling away from Max.

Max pressed the attack...and when Chloe managed to breathlessly push Max's hands away for a moment, Max switched her target to Chloe's thighs, eliciting a high-pitched yelp from Chloe.

"No no no no, I surrender!" Chloe said.

Max stopped, her fingers hovering above Chloe's legs.

"Unconditionally?" Max said, grinning.

Chloe nodded and said, "holy fuck, you've never tickled my legs before. That shit's serious...and kind of hot."

"Oh really?" Max said, lowering her fingers closer to Chloe's skin.

"I am super conflicted right now," Chloe said, "I may need to reevaluate my feelings about tickling."

"Well then how about this instead?" Max said, scooting up and kissing Chloe on the forehead.

"Oh, I'll take that," Chloe said, "um...where did that come from?"

"Complaining?" Max said.

"Oh, hell no," Chloe said, grinning.

"It just felt like the right thing to do," Max said, shrugging and blushing slightly.

"Yeah it did," Chloe said, "and, um...in case you suddenly want to make out, I better brush my teeth so I don't scare you away from kissing...forever."

Chloe strolled out of the room and Max checked the time: it was just after 9:30. She rolled out of bed and walked over to the bathroom, where a foamy toothbrush stuck out from Chloe's mouth.

"Lookin' good there," Max said.

Chloe grinned around the toothbrush and held up a middle finger.

Max placed her fingers threateningly near Chloe's sides.

Chloe removed the toothbrush from her mouth and said, "dude, don't you dare...I will spit toothpaste all over the bathroom and we'll have to clean it up."

"That  _ would  _ be pretty funny," Max said.

"You know I'd get revenge," Chloe said before sticking the toothbrush back in.

"Very true," Max said.

"So when do you have to be at Blackwell?" Chloe managed around the toothbrush.

"AP English is still cancelled so my first class is at eleven," Max said.

"Sweet!" Chloe said.

"Two Whales?" Max said with a grin.

Chloe nodded vigorously, sending flecks of toothpaste all over the mirror.

"Shit," she mumbled.

They cleaned off the mirror and Max commandeered the sink to brush her own teeth. Standing by herself in front of the mirror, her thoughts jumped back to the man she'd seen outside during the night.

Max sighed and thought,  _ I  _ hate  _ that this crap is messing with us...I just want to have a normal life. Is it too much to ask to just be able to hang out with Chloe, take photos, and do schoolwork and stuff? Shit, I wish I didn't have to tell Chloe about the person last night...but I shouldn't keep anything like this from her...I'll tell her over breakfast _ .

She returned to the bedroom to find Chloe nearly dressed, hopping around on one foot to pull her jeans on.

"Graceful," Max said.

"Hey, don't knock the newest dance moves," Chloe said, hopping on the other foot, "the Dress Up is hella hip...but not as hot as the opposite." She winked.

Max smiled.

"So...um...how do you feel? About this?" Chloe said, "you know, the date?"

"It was just perfect," Max said, "I loved it so much. I...no one has ever paid that much attention to me before."

"You totally deserve it, G," Chloe said, smiling gently.

"How do  _ you  _ feel about it?" Max said.

"Hella amazeballs," Chloe said, "it was all...new for me...like I said, I'd never been on a real  _ date _ before. It felt...just so right."

"Yeah, for me too," Max said, "so good. Although I have to admit, after reading the journal, I'm more than a little excited to...um...make out...at some point." She blushed.

"Well," Chloe said, "I'd say that the bed's right there...or the couch...or my truck...or the shower," Max kicked her, "but I'm so fucking hungry; how about let's postpone our make out session until after we've had something to eat? Or...um...just let it happen when it happens."

"I like that, particularly the food first part," Max said, her stomach audibly agreeing.

Max pulled Chloe into a hug before grabbing new clothes. Chloe made an exaggerated movement to turn away and lounge in her chair as Max changed. Max, in turn, snapped a photo of Chloe reclining and staring out the window. She put the photo into the emergency pocket of her bag and they were soon climbing into Chloe's truck.

As Chloe pulled onto the road, she said, "Max, I seriously don't know how you managed to turn me into such a ro…"

Chloe stopped speaking and stared into her rearview mirror.

"Chloe? What's up?" Max said, beginning to turn around to see what Chloe was looking at.

"Don't look back," Chloe hissed, "not yet."

"What's wrong?" Max said, her eyes wide, "if we need to rewind, pull off to the side of the road and we can hop out."

"I don't think we need a rewind...it's just that car from before," Chloe said, "the one that we thought might be following us the other day."

"Really?" Max said, her stomach twisting.

_ Okay, this is  _ way  _ too many instances of creepy people watching us _ , Max thought.

"Go ahead and take a look as we turn," Chloe said. She made a right turn at the next street and Max looked over. A grey sedan, looking identical to the one that had followed them the day before, followed them into the turn.

"The driver's a man though," Max said, trying to see if he bore any resemblance to the figure she'd seen last night...she couldn't tell.

"Yeah, but it's the same car...plate's the same," Chloe said.

"This is concerning," Max said, "and for more than one reason."

"What do you mean?" Chloe said, "that feeling you had at our fort? And in your room?"

"Those, yeah...and...I got up at about three in the morning last night and there was a person across the street from your house," Max said, "he or she was staring over at the house, took some notes, and then left."

"Shit, seems pretty damn obvious then," Chloe said, scowling, "we're being watched and followed. Listen, Max, I've been thinking. You're not going to like this but...if we get into some serious shit, always get behind me, okay?"

Max's eyes widened and she said, "why?"

"Because I can take a bullet, Max," Chloe said, "or a knife or whatever. If we're in danger, I'm the one who  _ has  _ to take it."

"But…," Max started.

"No, Max," Chloe said, "it's entirely practical. If I get shot or stabbed or blown up or some shit, you can rewind and prevent it. We know that. You  _ have _ to let me take the hit. No matter what."

"I…you're right," Max said, looking at the floor of the truck, "let's...let's just try to not end up in that situation."

She reached over and put her hand on Chloe's leg.

"Yeah, I'm not eager to get murdered...again," Chloe said, "but these people following us might mean that there's bad shit on the way."

"Er...I was thinking earlier that whoever it was had a perfect opportunity to murder us last night out at the fort. It was just us and there was no one else around. It might be a good sign that we didn't get attacked there," Max said.

"Oh...huh...that's a good point," Chloe said, "yeah...maybe they  _ are _ just...watching us? I guess creepy is better than murderous."

"Still, let's be careful," Max said.

"Yeah, no way I'm not be careful when it comes to keeping you safe," Chloe said.

Max smiled and said, "so what do we do about this asshat behind us?"

"Let's just go to the Two Whales," Chloe said, "not much we can do about him right now. We'd probably just give away that we've noticed him. On the plus side, maybe he and his buddies will eat there and be so blown away by the awesomeness of the food that they give up their lives of creeping."

"One can hope," Max said.

They pulled into a spot in front of the Two Whales and the mysterious grey sedan drove by, turning onto the next street.

"Probably going to turn around and park somewhere nearby," Chloe said, "if he really is following us, that is."

Max nodded.

Joyce greeted them cheerfully as they walked into the diner and she took their orders: both of them asked for the bacon omelette.

"No epic waffle today?" Chloe said as Joyce stepped away.

"No, I'm feeling more like eggs and bacon," Max said, "the Chloe diet, I suppose...and speaking of, I found it funny that you were so...hesitant to get a waffle yesterday. You used to get waffles and pancakes all the time."

"Ha, yeah, and I was always bouncing off the walls," Chloe said, "I've been smoking pot for years to mellow out from that sugar high. I still love a good waffle...just...every once in a while, like yesterday...I can't eat that much sweet stuff so often."

"And that's because, last night, you showed that you're already way too sweet," Max said, putting a hand on Chloe's wrist.

Chloe said, "oh, there will be consequences for that."

She slid her booted foot rapidly up Max's leg and into Max's lap. Max jumped in surprise and Chloe covered her mouth to keep her laugh quiet.

Max glared at Chloe but Chloe's barely-suppressed laughter caused Max's lips to twitch into a smile. At that moment, Joyce came back over with coffee.

"Oh no, what has she done now?" Joyce said to Max.

"Oh, the usual," Max said with a smile.

_ I'm not quite sure how she'll interpret that _ , Max thought,  _ but I suppose it's the truth...and gets the point across without having to describe her daughter's footsie habits _ .

Max decided to seek some revenge and rubbed her foot on Chloe's leg. Chloe's eyes widened momentarily and then narrowed, her gaze darting between Max and Joyce.

"Hey, mom," Chloe said, "what would you say if I told you Max is my girlfriend?"

Max's eyes widened and her foot dropped to the floor with a thud. Joyce laughed loudly, her head tilted back, and most of the diner turned to look.

"I'd say that it's been plain to see," Joyce said, "here, scoot over."

Chloe scooted towards the window and Joyce sat down next to her, putting the coffee pot on the table.

"You don't think I noticed how suddenly over the moon you've been, Chloe? And that it's always most obvious when Max is around?" Joyce said, smiling over at Max.

"Well...um...we figured that you knew," Chloe said, snorting and leaning slightly away from Joyce. Chloe clearly hadn't expected her mom to dive in like this; Max chuckled under her breath.

Joyce wrapped an arm around Chloe's shoulders and pulled her close.

"Oh no you don't," Joyce said, "you know, I was already wondering about this back when you were kids. The way you bounded down the stairs whenever she'd come over? You know, you asked almost _every_ _day_ if you could go play with her...and it was always Max. You had no other friends that close...and I never caught mention of a single boy. And the way you looked at her?" Joyce laughed and turned to Max, "let me guess...you had no idea."

Max shook her head, smiling at Chloe's reddening face.

"But then you had that procession of boys after...well...after everything that happened. I sort of wondered if you were on the two-way street there...or if it had been a phase...or if I'd just been plain wrong," Joyce said, "but then there was Rachel, of course," Joyce's face fell, "seemed like you had a bit of that spark back...and not just the romantic kind. But it still wasn't the same...until Max here came back. And there you were, looking at her just the way you used to but with such...confidence. Took me a little while to notice it. And then? I could see Max looking at  _ you  _ the same way," now it was Max's turn to blush, "I'm just so glad...so happy for both of you."

"Thanks, Joyce," Max said with a grin, "it's...like being even better best friends."

"Best friends with benefits, you mean," Joyce said with a smirk.

Max shrunk into her seat and Chloe put her head on the table, groaning something incomprehensible.

"Okay, I'll stop embarrassing you," Joyce said, patting Chloe's back, "but thank you for telling me."

She hopped up, leaned over to give Max a hug, and practically  _ skipped  _ back towards the counter.

"Dude," Chloe said, lifting her head from the table, "that was way hella more awkward than I thought it would be. Can you rewind and tell me not to do that?"

"Are you kidding? That was amazing," Max said, "I think we need to keep that."

Chloe lowered her head again and mumbled, "damn, I guess you  _ are _ the time travel boss."

Max reached over and ran a hand through Chloe's hair, causing her to look up.

"Chloe, I'll do it if you really want...but look at her," Max said.

Chloe glanced over at Joyce, who was talking animatedly to a customer at the counter, a wide grin across her face. She poured a copy of coffee with a flourish.

"Dude, she's practically bouncing," Chloe said.

"I know," Max said with a grin.

"Alright, fine, you have me convinced," Chloe said.

Joyce returned with their omelettes, beaming.

"Big breakfasts for the lovebirds," Joyce said, setting the plates down.

"Mom, you are insufferable," Chloe said.

"Part of the job, particularly when my daughter picked so well," Joyce said, smiling at Max.

Max blushed and stammered out a thanks.

"So, who made the first move?" Joyce said.

"Um…," Chloe said, a forkful of omelette halfway to her mouth.

"Chloe did," Max said.

"Should've known," Joyce said with a grin, "and what did you think about it, Max?"

"I think I'm glad Chloe made the first move, because I'm sure mine would've been super awkward and taken about a month longer," Max said.

_ Although  _ this  _ is a little awkward _ , Max thought,  _ I love Joyce...but relationship questions from your girlfriend's mom? That's...hmm...I  _ do  _ really like the sound of that... _ girlfriend _. Chloe's my girlfriend. Girlfriend. _

"Looks like you're lost in thought," Joyce said.

"Oh, just thinking that I really like the idea that Chloe's my girlfriend," Max said.

"So do I, Max," Joyce said, patting Chloe on the shoulder, "so do I."

She smiled and walked back towards the counter.

"Well, now that the parental gush-fest is over," Chloe said, leaning over towards Max, "what do you think is up with the car following us and the creepy shit you've been seeing and...um...feeling?"

"First of all, Joyce is adorable...I'm beginning to see where some of your idiosyncrasies come from," Max said.

"You know, Beta Max said something similar and I kicked her for it," Chloe said.

"But Chloe, you wouldn't kick your girlfriend, would you?" Max said, batting her eyelashes in an exaggerated way.

Chloe snorted.

"Anyways, yeah, the weird shit," Max said, her brow furrowed, "let's start with the car: what do we know about it so far? The color, make, model, and license plate?"

"Yeah, and that there are two different drivers," Chloe said, "the red headed woman and the dude with the hat. Hmm...let's call them Scully and Mulder."

"Dude, that show always freaked me out so much; you know that," Max said.

"Well it's too late to change my mind. Our mysterious friends are hereby officially christened Mulder and Scully," Chloe said, taking another bite of her omelette.

"So what do  _ you  _ think they're up to?" Max said.

"They must be following us for  _ some  _ reason. Hired by the Prescotts?" Chloe said.

"Sean Prescott definitely has the money for it...and is probably the only person in Arcadia Bay who's a big enough asshole to have two teenage girls followed around...the only one that isn't in jail, that is," Max said, toying with her omelette, "if so...that probably means that the other creeps that have been showing up in weird places are the same as the ones driving the grey car...or they're  _ other  _ people hired by Prescott...or…"

"Or?" Chloe said.

"Maybe Sean Prescott himself has been poking around," Max said.

"But why?" Chloe said, "and why have you been getting those weird feelings?"

Max shrugged, "I'm not sure. Maybe it has something to do with Nathan? Or maybe the supernatural stuff? That would tie into the mysteries: the Prescotts seem to know more about that stuff than they let on...and they had the weird cylinder thing."

"Yeah, makes me wonder what other weird trinkets old Prescott might have," Chloe said.

Max thought back to the strange clacking noise outside of her room.

"I wonder...maybe there are... _ things _ out there that have powers," Max said.

"There's so much weird shit going on around here that it wouldn't surprise me," Chloe said.

They ate in silence for a few minutes.

"Any other ideas why the Prescotts...or someone else...might be following us?" Chloe finally asked.

Max thought about it, coming up with all kinds of wild theories, each less likely than the one before it.

"No," she finally said, "at least...nothing reasonable. I'm kind of stumped."

"Sounds like we need more information," Chloe said, a glint in her eye.

"Uh oh," Max said.

"Yup," Chloe said, "after I take you up to school, I'm going to snoop."

"Be careful, Chloe," Max said.

"Eh, don't worry," Chloe said, "I'm just going to talk to people I know...and trust. I've got a ton of connections around here that have probably noticed some of these new people around."

"Really?" Max said.

"Totally," Chloe said, "you meet a lot of people when you're involved in the underground music scene...and the underground drug scene...and the underground booze scene...and...you get the picture."

"Awesomesauce," Max said, smiling.

"And besides, if something bad happens to me, we've got pics and rewinds," Chloe said, making Max's smile vanish.

"Yeah," Max said.

"Max," Chloe said, reaching over to hold Max's hand, "I  _ will  _ be careful. I know from experience that getting shot really fucking sucks. So does getting beat up."

Max's eyes widened.

"Sorry," Chloe continued, "I'll tell you sometime...but like I said before, I'm way more worried about  _ you _ getting cornered somehow. You're not invincible, after all. If someone were to  _ really _ get the jump on you…"

"I know what you mean," Max said, her thoughts drifting back to Rachel's grave...Jefferson...the needle.

Max reached up and rubbed her neck.

Chloe tilted her head and then her eyes widened.

"Shit, I'm sorry," she said, reaching over and grabbing Max's hand, "I forgot."

"It's okay, Chloe, it's okay," Max said, squeezing Chloe's hand, "as much as I might want to forget that entire fucking night, it's good to remember that, like you said, I'm not invincible."

"And that's why you've always got to keep  _ me _ between you and danger," Chloe said, lifting another bite to her mouth.

"I know...I'm just hoping that Mulder and Scully and the mysterious creepster are just PIs or something," Max said, "and hey, if they  _ are  _ PIs, maybe we could go talk to them and find out what their work is like."

Chloe smiled.

Then she frowned and said, "you don't think they or the Prescotts might know about your powers, do you?"

"I sure as hell hope not," Max said, "that's a really scary thought. I...don't see how they could. After all, I sort of erase the evidence every time I use my powers."

Chloe nodded and they poked at their omelettes for a few moments, staring into space.

"Oh hey," Chloe said, drawing Max's attention, "I'm...not even sure if I should mention this but...um...I had a dream last night."

She fidgeted with her fork.

"Er...what kind of dream?" Max said.

"I...saw my dad," Chloe said, "we...talked."

Max's eyes widened and she said, "wait...you were  _ awake  _ during the dream?"

Chloe nodded.

"That's...it kind of sounds like the visions I had before," Max said.

"This wasn't...the first time I had a dream like this," Chloe said.

"Chloe, tell me everything," Max said, leaning forward.

"I...had some of these dreams a few years ago," Chloe said, "around the time when I first met Rachel. They happened just a few times...I talked to my dad...he...it was like he was trying to give me advice...warnings. It was like he  _ knew _ things...then I had a kind of waking dream. I  _ saw  _ him there with me...but it seemed so...natural. Almost normal. We just talked...some serious shit, I guess. But it was almost like I got to say good-bye. But that was the last one...after all of the shit with Rachel's mom ended, I didn't seem him again...until last night."

"Rachel's mom?" Max said.

"It's...a long story," Chloe said, waving her hand, "I promise I'll tell you later."

"So...last night you had a dream like those old ones?" Max said.

"Yeah, we were up by the lighthouse...the only light was a little fire. He talked about the fire...and he said that you were special...and to hold on to you," Chloe said, "and then, behind us, Rachel's forest fire appeared. And then...shit...I turned around and there was the storm...the one you described: a huge fucking tornado in the middle of the bay."

Max's face paled.

"I...sorta freaked out," Chloe said, "but my dad said it was okay...he said that the storm was like him...in the past but...a part of me. And then...and then Rachel showed up. She sat down and looked at me and then that was it."

Max let out a breath.

"I'm...not sure what to make of that," Max said, her brow furrowed.

"Me neither," Chloe said, "do you think...do you think it  _ means  _ something?"

"With everything crazy that seems to happen around here, yeah, I think it probably means something," Max said, "and...I think there's good news and bad news."

"Bad news first, please," Chloe said.

"Well, if it wasn't obvious already, something is  _ definitely _ going on," Max said, "and not just that but from my experience with visions, all of this stuff is  _ going _ somewhere... _ something  _ is going to happen and you and I are part of it."

"Fuck...okay, what's the good news?" Chloe said.

Max smiled and said, "it sounds like...maybe...both Rachel and your dad...or at least someone or something very much like them, are watching over us and trying to help us out."

"Yeah...yeah," Chloe said, her face brightening, "I like the way you think. And...um...you don't think I'm crazy?"

Max raised an eyebrow, "you're kidding, right?"

"Yeah, stupid question," Chloe said.

"No, not a stupid question...I'm constantly having to remind myself that  _ I'm _ not crazy," Max said.

"You're sweet, G," Chloe said.

Max smiled and then her expression hardened.

"All of this does mean that we may need to...um...go on the offensive?" Max said.

"Yeah...it does make my plan to get more info a little more urgent," Chloe said.

Max nodded and said, "and I'll pay attention as much as I can to see if I get any of those feelings again...and record where, when, and how. And I think it's a really good sign that none of these creeps has tried anything yet."

"And let's make sure they don't get the chance," Chloe said.

They finished up their omelettes and left the diner hand in hand, waving to Joyce as they left.

**. . . . .**

Outside, Max pulled Chloe off to the left.

"Where are we going?" Chloe asked.

"I want to check on something," Max said.

They rounded the corner of the diner and Max stopped, staring down at a line of ants marching along the sidewalk.

"Um…," Chloe said.

"Last time I came to this spot, the ants were moving in a spiral...a vortex," Max said.

"Ah, got it," Chloe said, "I am  _ so _ fucking glad that I avoided all that nature-gone-batshit crazy stuff."

"Yeah, I sort of freak out any time I see a dead bird," Max said, "anyways, given everything we just talked about, I wanted to do the ant check."

She started to turn away but saw, down the alley, the same homeless woman that she'd encountered in the erased week. Max paused for a moment, fidgeting with her bag's strap. She shrugged and began walking towards the woman.

"Max?" Chloe said quietly, following along.

"I know her...er...at least I did in the other timeline," Max said.

"Well, hello there," the woman said, looking up as they approached.

"Hi," Max said.

"I know you," the woman said, pointing at Chloe, "you're Joyce's daughter. You...got shot by that Prescott boy, didn't you?"

"Um...," Chloe said, scratching her head.

"And you," the woman said gently, turning towards Max, "you must be a senior student at Blackwell."

"Yes, I am," Max said.

"Good...that's good," she said, "and...you were the other girl in the bathroom?"

"Yes, I was," Max said.

_ She  _ does  _ hear about everything _ , Max thought.

"You both best be careful with the Prescotts...you're lucky...not everyone survives them," the woman said, shaking her head.

"Sounds like you know something about them," Chloe said.

"I've been around for a long time...long enough to know that the Prescotts are bad news...the worst news in this town," the woman said.

"What do you mean?" Max said.

"They've always been trouble... _ always _ ," she said, her lip twisting in disgust, "they use every dirty trick in the book to buy up everythin' in sight...cheat people out of their wages and savings."

She frowned deeply, tapping a finger on her chin.

"Something else?" Max said.

"Well...don't tell anyone you heard this from me but strange things happen with them...and they're always lookin' for strange things too," she said.

Both Max and Chloe leaned closer to the woman.

"What do you mean by  _ strange _ ?" Chloe said.

"Oh, they been collectin' old things for years and years," the woman said.

"What kinds of things do they collect?" Max said.

"I only hear secondhand, you know," the woman said, "but they say its all old Indian trinkets they get...local stuff...they buy it up whenever they see any. Things that have strange writing, or so I heard."

Max and Chloe looked at each other.

"Hmm...not the only strange thing associated with a Prescott, either," the woman said.

"What do you mean?" Max said.

The woman looked back and forth...then behind her...then around behind Max and Chloe...and up to the roofs around them. Both Max and Chloe followed her gaze.

_ Um… _ , Max thought.

Seeming satisfied, she leaned forward and said, "now you  _ definitely _ don't go tellin' anyone you heard this from me."

They nodded and she continued, "well...years ago, there was this girl...poor thing...can't even remember her name now. Started with an 'S' I think...Sally...Susan...somethin' like that. Went to Blackwell, same as Sean Prescott."

"Did they know each other?" Chloe said.

"Oh yes, they were friends...maybe the only real friend Prescott ever had," she said.

"You said "poor thing"...what happened to her?" Max said.

"Died," the woman said.

"Was it Prescott?" Chloe said, gritting her teeth.

"No...no," the woman said, "she died saving his life."

Both Max and Chloe's eyes widened.

The woman snorted and said, "I was there...that Prescott boy was stuck in the train tracks and a train was coming...no way it would stop in time. She ran over and…," she paused, leaning closer and lowering her voice to the barest whisper, "she put her hand out and that train slowed near to a stop."

Max and Chloe glanced at each other again; Max's head felt like it was spinning.

"Sean got himself unstuck," the woman continued, "but that girl didn't get out of the way in time."

Max grimaced and Chloe looked off to the side.

"I'm...sorry you had to see that," Max said.

"It was a long time ago," the woman said, "but I remember it like it was yesterday."

"So...what happened after that?" Chloe said.

"I heard that Prescott changed after that," she said, "they say he became more like his mother...obsessed with finding scraps of old paper and those old knicknacks."

"You said strange things  _ happen  _ with the Prescotts too?" Max said.

The woman chuckled mirthlessly and said, "oh yes...years later was when the accidents started happenin'...some people nearly killed, too. Couple of young people driven out of town. Lots of whispers about those times...whispers that old Prescott was involved. And no one knew why. I always wondered if it had something to do with that girl and the train," she said, "and, you know, I'm surprised no  _ accidents  _ have happened to me...he knows I saw that whole thing." She grinned wryly.

Max wasn't sure what to say.

Chloe spoke up and said, "we think he might have someone following us."

"You be careful then," she said, her eyes narrowing, "that man likes to intimidate...likes to scare you...sometimes I think he does more than that. But I've a feelin' you're smarter than old Prescott...he's been preyin' on this town for years and still hasn't gotten what he wants, I think. He may be clever...he may be rich...but seems he ain't all that smart or lucky."

"I sure as fuck hope so," Chloe said.

The woman smiled and nodded.

"Well...thanks for telling us about all of this," Max said, stepping back.

"Any time, any time," the woman said, "by the way, could I trouble you for a granola bar?"

"Huh?" Max said. Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"In your bag, I think you've got a couple granola bars; mind if I have one?" she said.

"Um...sure," Max said, opening her bag. She found a granola bar near the bottom and handed it over.

"Thank you, dear," the woman said, "and be careful."

"We will," Max said.

Chloe nodded to the woman and they walked back towards the street.

"Holy fucking hell, Max," Chloe said, "what the fuck just happened?"

"I don't know," Max said, shaking her head, "I can't tell if what she said was actually true or if she just  _ thinks _ it is."

"Could she be messing with us?" Chloe said.

"I don't think so," Max said, "she was always pretty straightforward when I talked to her before."

"Maybe she's just crazy?" Chloe said, "or...didn't see what she  _ thought  _ she saw?"

"I'm not sure," Max said, "she might be completely wrong...or deluded...or she might be right."

"Damn...if she  _ is _ right…," Chloe said.

"Then Sean Prescott knows about people with powers," Max said.

"Do you think he might know about  _ you _ ?" Chloe said.

"I don't see how...even if that girl  _ did  _ have powers, it sounds like she could do things that were very... _ visible _ ...after all, being able to stop a train is something people would be able to see and remember," Max said.

"No kidding," Chloe said.

"But everything  _ I _ do creates new timelines," Max continued, "no one can tell that I've done something because no one  _ remembers  _ there was another timeline. And that means that no one should have any idea that I have powers."

"Makes sense," Chloe said, "so...does that lady's story give us any more info?"

Max shrugged and said, "Nothing concrete...I guess there's some confirmation that Prescott's been looking for things like that cylinder...but I think we're still basically at square one. If Mulder and Scully or the creepster were looking for evidence that I had powers, I'd think that they'd be doing more than just following us around."

"Maybe they have us bugged? Or read your journal?" Chloe said.

Max had a moment of panic, reaching instinctively into her bag and breathing a sigh of relief when she felt her journal.

"No, I don't think so...this fucker," Max tapped the journal, "is with me all the time. So unless they can sneak up right next to me when I'm sleeping…"

"They wouldn't need to follow us around in cars like chumps," Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said.

They reached Chloe's truck and climbed in; it was nearly time for Max's first class.

"Er...one more thing," Chloe said, "how the fuck did that lady know that you had a granola bar?"

Max shook her head and said, "no idea."

"Maybe...just maybe...she has a power too," Chloe said.

Max stopped halfway into Chloe's truck, her eyebrows raised.

Chloe grinned and continued, "the power to tell that you're the kind of hipster that would  _ always _ carry granola bars."

**. . . . .**

They arrived in front of Blackwell and Max stared up at the school.

"And here I thought that if I could just save you and the town, we'd be out of the woods," she said.

"Hey," Chloe said, "I think we might just have the upper hand here...we've got the rewind. There's no gun-toting Nathan. And there's no creepy motherfucking photo teacher."

"And we have each other," Max said, putting a hand on Chloe's arm.

"Yeah," Chloe said, smiling.

"There are still plenty of missing pieces to this puzzle," Max said, "but you're right...we're still in the game."

"And like I said, I'm going to see if I can connect a few of those pieces," Chloe said.

"Please be careful," Max said.

"You've got your emergency photos, right?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said.

"Okay...if I manage to get myself royally fucked, please save my ass," Chloe said.

"Damn right I will," Max said.

"Thanks, real life cheat code, you're the best," Chloe said with a grin.

"Um...not to be morbid, but what if something happens to me?" Max said.

Chloe's face fell and Max saw something dangerous in Chloe's eyes; a fire as bright as when Chloe had gone to hunt Nathan down after finding Rachel's body.

"Max, if anyone does manage to get to you, nothing will stop me from taking them down...nothing," Chloe said, "and I will end anyone that gets in my way."

"I believe you," Max said, and she meant it, "I'll be careful too."

Chloe nodded and then leaned over suddenly, wrapping Max in a hug.

Max hugged her back, a smile blossoming on her face. They held each other there for several long moments until the sound of the school bell floated across from the main building. They broke apart and Chloe smiled too.

"You know, I have plenty of motivation to not get myself killed," Chloe said.

"I should hope so...I've been told that I'm a pretty good kisser," Max said.

"Oh, I think we'll go about proving that," Chloe said, "shit...I feel like we keep coming back to this but we're probably overthinking all of this shit. Mulder and Scully aren't going to hunt us down with machetes or anything. The creepster isn't going to snipe us from a helicopter. We can put on our motherfucking Sherlock hats  _ and _ get on with this girlfriends stuff too. Amirite?"

"Yes, you are absolutely right," Max said, "um...hella."

"You are so damn cute," Chloe said, leaning forward and planting a tiny kiss on Max's nose, "now get your skinny ass to class while I go sleuthing."

"Alright, good luck," Max said, hopping out of the truck, "see you soon."

Chloe waved and sped away.


	8. The Lunch Group

A little over an hour later, Max left her science class and walked swiftly towards the cafeteria. She didn't feel particularly hungry (a common side effect of a Two Whales breakfast) but found herself craving social interaction...and that surprised her.

_ Normally I'd just want to sit in a corner, munch on a sandwich, and then get out to take photos...or just sit in my room and listen to music _ , Max thought,  _ I sure as hell haven't become an extrovert...but I guess I kind of  _ like  _ sitting with a group and listening and...wowser, even talking every once in a while. Yay to a more confident Max...if I fuck up socially: rewind! Trip and make myself look like an idiot? Rewind and gracefully trot to my destination! Decide to make a fool of myself by dancing around a classroom? Totally doable since I can just erase the hell out of it. Life is kind of awesome, I suppose _ .

She shuffled through the cafeteria line, getting only a small helping of mashed potatoes and vegetables.

She located Kate, Warren, Brooke, and Daniel and made her way to their table, sitting down next to Warren and across from Kate.

"Small lunch there, Max," Warren said, "doesn't seem like the... _ Maximum _ option... _ ow! _ "

"Thanks, Brooke," Max said, assuming that Brooke had just kicked Warren under the table.

"No problem," Brooke said with a lopsided smile.

"Oh come on, the pun is a completely legitimate form of humor," Warren said, rubbing his leg.

"Agreed," Max said, "but that doesn't mean it doesn't deserve a physical response."

"Oh, Warren gets plenty of punishment from me," Brooke said with a grin.

Both Daniel and Kate suddenly paid very close attention to their plates; Warren's mouth dropped open.

Max laughed, thinking,  _ oh, Chloe would totally latch onto  _ that  _ one _ .

"Oh, really," said a voice, making Max drop her fork, "have any tips, Brooke? I'd be very interested in learning some  _ disciplinary _ techniques."

Max looked up see Chloe wink at Brooke.

Brooke grinned and said, "I'll send you a link to an  _ excellent  _ site."

Max and Warren looked at each other; it was clear that this was news to Warren.

"Oh, shit," Max said.

Kate spit out a mouthful of carrot as she laughed.

Chloe sat down next to Max and used the distraction of Kate's mess to surreptitiously whisper, "yo, found out that Mulder and Scully  _ are  _ PIs. They've got a couple of cars and are renting out some unused space in the old post office building on Maple."

"How the  _ hell  _ did you find that out so quickly?" Max said.

"Dude, you  _ know _ how small this town is," Chloe said, "All of my contacts are friends with someone who's friends with someone else. One chick that I know is dating the guy whose sister manages the property. Boom: info."

"That's really impressive," Max said, her eyebrows raised.

"Why, thank you," Chloe said, "as a reward, I shall hold off applying whatever tips Brooke sends."

Max punched Chloe's leg.

"Or maybe not," Chloe said, shrugging.

"What are you two talking about?" came Dana's voice from behind Chloe.

Max leaned to peer around Chloe, seeing that Dana and Juliet had just sat down.

"Hmm," Chloe said, "Max, do you think we need to keep this information under wraps?"

"I guess not," Max said, "anyone who watches carefully would eventually notice and start asking questions."

Dana's eyes lit up and she sat up straight. The rest of the group's looked at them, their expressions curious.

"So," Chloe said, "it turns out that Max and I are being followed around by a couple of PIs."

Dana's face fell and eyes widened around the table.

_ Poor Dana _ , Max thought,  _ it's clear she was hoping we'd announce...other things. But hey... _ she  _ already knows. _

Several moments passed before Brooke broke the silence.

" _ What? _ " she said.

"Are you kidding?" Warren said.

Alyssa arrived and looked around in confusion at the shocked expressions around the table.

"What's going on? Did somebody die?" Alyssa said.

"No," Brooke said, "Max and Chloe are being followed by PIs."

"Oh," Alyssa said, looking at Max and Chloe, "did one of  _ you  _ kill somebody?"

"No!" Max said.

"I don't know," Chloe said, "it's been a long couple of weeks."

Max elbowed her.

"Who do you think hired them?" Kate said quietly.

"Our guess?" Chloe said, "King Douche Sean Prescott."

"Ah," Warren and Brooke both said.

Alyssa and Juliet both nodded.

"Wait, I think I'm missing something here," Dana said, her brow furrowed.

"Max and Chloe are closely linked with Nathan's arrest," Juliet said, "so if anyone were to have them followed, it would probably be Nathan's dad. He's the only one with a motive and the resources to do so."

"Ah, got it," Dana said.

"You don't think they're going to follow me too, do you?" Kate said, fidgeting with her fork, "I don't  _ think  _ anyone's been following me around...at least I hope not."

Brooke put a hand on Kate's shoulder.

"Honestly," Brooke said, "I don't think they'll even  _ glance  _ at you. After what you went through, if anyone so much as got a hint that they were doing  _ anything  _ to you, it would be an even bigger PR nightmare for the Prescott empire."

"And besides," Juliet said, "the charges on Nathan are more serious involving these two," she gestured at Max and Chloe, "and the bigger culprit for  _ you  _ isn't related to a Prescott."

"Hey, that's one thing we all have in common with Sean Prescott," Chloe said, "we don't give a flying fuck about Mark fucking Jefferson," she raised Max's cup of water and continued, "to  _ that  _ douchebag rotting in prison forever; fuck that guy."

Warren, Alyssa, and Brooke all brought their cups up immediately. The rest hesitated but also raised their cups.

Kate smiled a little and said, right as most of the table was sipping, "yeah, fuck that guy."

Nearly everyone spit up their drinks; both Brooke and Daniel began coughing.

"Oh no, I'm so sorry!" Kate said, putting her hand to her mouth.

Chloe, laughing uproariously, leaned forward and said, "Kate, you are such a badass." She put her fist up and Kate gently bumped it.

After the table quieted down, Dana glanced around and leaned over to whisper to Max and Chloe, "I thought you were going to tell us something  _ else  _ that would be obvious if people were watching."

"Oh yeah,  _ that _ ," Chloe said, loud enough to draw the table's attention.

_ Uh oh _ , Max thought.

Chloe turned and looked at Max, a glint in her eye.

Max's eyes went wide and she thought,  _ I...think she wants to kiss me...right now...here...in front of everyone _ .

But Chloe paused, a question in her eyes. She seemed to be asking,  _ can I _ ?

Max froze for another moment but then shrugged internally.

_ Ah, what the hell _ , Max thought,  _ if it's super awkward...rewind _ . She gave Chloe a tiny nod and a smile.

Chloe smiled and leaned in, her lips meeting Max's. Max's nerves felt like they were on fire, knowing that all of the eyes around the table were on them. But with Chloe so close...with their lips together, she relaxed and closed her eyes.

They broke the kiss after only a moment and Max tried very hard to avoid meeting anyone's eyes. She could hear Dana giggling excitedly and a couple of people coughing nervously. Max finally looked up, first at Chloe's glowing expression and then around the table. Warren looked as if he were trying to solve a complicated equation in his head. Brooke was nodding, very slowly, to herself. Dana and Juliet were both grinning widely. Alyssa and Daniel both stared with their mouths open. And then Max forced herself to look across at Kate, giving her a small smile. Kate's eyes were wide and her face red. Max wasn't quite sure what it meant but Kate met her gaze and she smiled...just a little. But it was enough for Max to relax her shoulders.

Chloe looked down at Max and raised an eyebrow.

She seemed to be saying,  _ going to rewind this? _

Max gazed back and smiled, shaking her head ever so slightly.

_ Nope _ , Max thought,  _ this was going to get out anyways and we not only decided when and how, but we did it in a very Chloe way...I should do something bold every once in a while, right? And...holy shit, we just kissed! _

Max grinned, sitting in a daze as Chloe said, "so yeah...um...surprise!"

"Did you know?" Brooke said, looking over at Dana.

"Oh yes," Dana said.

"We interrogated Max a few days ago and she's just too sweet to hold up under that kind of pressure," Juliet said with a smile, reaching across Chloe to pat Max on the shoulder.

"How did we miss this?" Brooke said to Warren.

"Because Max is sneaky and unreadable and Chloe is overwhelming to the senses?" Warren said.

"Or because you two were too busy  _ punishing  _ one another," Chloe said with a grin.

Warren blushed furiously and Brooke said, "touche."

"So it's not a joke or something?" Warren said, his eyes wide, "you guys are actually dating?"

"Yep," Max said, grabbing Chloe's hand under the table.

"That's awesome," Warren said with a grin.

" _ Nice _ ," Brooke said, giving both Max and Chloe high-fives.

After more hugs, fist-bumps, and high-fives around the table, Chloe entertained the group by describing their first date, garnering particular praise from Dana. Max sat back and listened, watching how everyone stared at Chloe before finding her own eyes drawn to her girlfriend.

_ She sure has a way of drawing and holding attention _ , Max thought.

The excitement died down after a flurry of questions...questions that, thankfully, didn't delve into intimate matters...Max breathed a silent sigh of relief at that.

After the group fell into their own separate conversations, Chloe leaned over to Max.

"Hey, you okay with that?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said with a smile, "it was certainly a very Chloe way to tell everyone."

"Liked it?" Chloe said.

"Of course I did," Max said with a wink.

"Ooh, sassy, I like it," Chloe said, "and...uh...that was a kiss."

"I agree," Max said, nudging Chloe with her elbow.

"And you're okay with  _ that _ ?" Chloe said.

Max nodded with a lopsided grin.

"I never expected it to be a public display," Max said, "but apparently I'm living the unexpected style, yo."

Chloe rolled her eyes and said, "better watch it, G. Or I'll show you some  _ real _ public displays of affection."

"I'm trembling," Max said, chuckling.

"Oh, you will be," Chloe said.

Max's eyes widened.

"So...now what about this PI shit?" Chloe said.

"Nice change of subject," Max said, "um...yeah…"

"Did I get you all hot and bothered?" Chloe said.

"Not going to answer that," Max said, "okay...PIs...um, lunch isn't over for a few more minutes so we could sneak off and make a plan."

"You  _ know  _ what everyone will think that means...us sneaking off together," Chloe said.

"Right," Max said, brow furrowed, "not that I care that much...but then Dana would hunt me down to ask questions…"

"Wait...how about we get their help?" Chloe said.

"Huh?" Max said.

"Let's ask these awesome nerds what they think. Get their ideas about the PIs. You and I are hella smart...and awesome...and hot...but so is everyone at this table," Chloe said, "well, maybe not as hot as you."

"Dork," Max said.

"You love it...and I'm not kidding," Chloe said, "but anyways, before you distract me more with your cute face, let's crowdsource this shit."

"I don't know...," Max said.

"Hey, if it doesn't pan out...hit the rewind button," Chloe said.

"Good point," Max said.

They turned back to the group and Chloe said, "hey dudes and dudettes, we have a question."

Everyone turned to her.

"What do you think we should do about these PIs following us around?" Chloe said.

The table fell silent, everyone's brows furrowed in concentration.

Several moments passed before Alyssa said, "you could just ignore them."

Warren nodded slowly in apparent agreement but Juliet frowned.

"Hmm...I don't know," Juliet said, " _ I'd _ be curious about what they're looking for...you said they've been following you by car?"

Max and Chloe nodded.

"Do they have some kind of base of operations?" Brooke asked.

"Yeah, the old postal building in town," Chloe said.

"You could...uh...sneak in there and snoop around," Warren said.

Everyone looked at him.

"What?" Warren said, "I think it's totally legit...they're spying on  _ you _ . Seems like fair game."

_ Hmm,  _ this  _ is the side of Warren that was willing to tell us how to build a pipe bomb _ , Max thought, hiding a smile.

"That could really backfire," Brooke said, drumming her fingers on the table.

"Yeah, particularly if they're trying to get dirt on you," Juliet said, "breaking and entering wouldn't look so good."

"Unless you're good at breaking and entering," Dana said, shrugging.

Max and Chloe looked at each other.

"I think we could manage it," Max said, eliciting a few raised eyebrows.

"You  _ think _ ?" Alyssa said.

"We're  _ confident  _ we could pull it off," Chloe said, draping an arm over Max's shoulders.

"It is true," Daniel said, "Max did...um…"

Max chuckled and said, "it's okay, Daniel," she turned to the group, "I snuck into Nathan's room a few days ago to try to figure out why he shot Chloe."

_ Well, technically speaking, it wasn't  _ me _...but there's no way in hell I'm taking anyone here down  _ that  _ rabbit hole right now _ , Max thought.

"Really?" Juliet said before turning to Daniel, "how did  _ you  _ know about that?"

He sat with his mouth open.

"He was my lookout," Max said.

"Damn, Daniel," Warren said, reaching across and punching Daniel's shoulder lightly.

Daniel smiled.

Juliet turned to Max and said, "what did you find? About Nathan, that is."

"Ever the journalist," Max said, "um...I found out that he was in a really rough state. He...wasn't getting the help that he needed and his father...didn't help."

The table was quiet for a few moments.

"So hey," Chloe said, "I love talking about douchebags as much as the next person...but about the whole breaking and entering thing...how the hell do we do it?"

"I thought you said you were confident you could pull it off," Brooke said.

"Yeah...except for walking in and getting jumped by Mulder and Scully," Chloe said.

"Ha, you're being followed by David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson? What are the odds?" Warren said with a goofy grin.

"Ha, no, but they do kind of look like them," Chloe said.

"Hmm...it sounds like you need a distraction," Dana said.

"Or a decoy," Kate said.

Everyone looked at her.

"What?" Kate said, "I can plan devious things too."

She smiled and the rest of the table smiled back.

"I like it," Max said, "if we have decoys that look like Chloe and I, they can draw off at least one of them."

"And then we'll somehow have to keep track of the other one," Chloe said.

"A sweet pair of wheels could help with that," Warren said.

"A drone could too," Brooke said.

"What if one or both of them head back to their headquarters?" Juliet said.

"Then you'd need someone to watch the building and warn you if they're coming back," Dana said.

The group nodded.

"Er, what happens if one of them stays at the headquarters while the other is out following the decoys?" Warren said.

"I think they'll both be out," Kate said, "as long as you're their only target, one of them will be the primary pursuit and the other will be a backup in case their cover is blown or in case you split up."

Everyone stared at her.

"You seem to be an expert on this," Chloe said, her eyebrows raised.

"Mystery books with PIs and stuff were some of my favorites a couple years ago," Kate said, "I kind of had to hide them from my parents though."

"Damn...you guys are awesome," Chloe said, "so we need a decoy Max, a decoy Chloe, some sweet wheels, a drone pilot, and a headquarters lookout. And...I'm thinking tonight. Are...any of you willing to help out?"

"Shit, I'd love to get in on something crazy like this but I can't...date tonight," Dana said.

"And as much as  _ I'd  _ love to get a first hand account of this, I'm going to a seminar at Bay State College," Juliet said.

"I'm in...I'll provide the sweet wheels," Warren said.

"And I'm your drone pilot, obviously," Brooke said.

"I'm sorry, Max, I cannot be your lookout again as I am also going to a seminar," Daniel said.

"Oh, which one?" Juliet said.

"Advanced Pencil Drawing Techniques," Daniel said, "what about you?"

"History of Modern Journalism," Juliet said.

"I'm not going to a seminar so I can be your lookout," Alyssa said, "it'd be a good excuse to just sit and read."

"Nice," Chloe said.

"I...I want to help too," Kate said, "Max, do you think I could be your decoy? It sounds kind of fun."

"You'll make an excellent me, I'm sure," Max said.

"What would I need to do?" Kate said, "I'm hoping it's not too drastic."

"Well, if we were being thorough," Chloe said, tilting her head, "we'd cut your hair, dye it brown, put some adorable freckles on your face," Max sunk down in her seat, "and get you a set of Max-like hipster clothes."

Kate's jaw dropped.

"But," Chloe continued quickly, "since we want to be quick and these PIs tend to be watching us from far away, I think a wig and some of Max's clothes should work."

"Okay, that sounds way better," Kate said.

"This is great...but what about a Chloe decoy?" Max said.

"I have an idea for that," Chloe said with a lopsided grin, "I'll take care of it."

"It's not Frank, is it?" Max said.

"I'm crazy, Max, not an idiot," Chloe said, ruffling Max's hair.

"Awww," Dana said.

"So when are we doing this?" Brooke said.

"Um...when's your last class?" Chloe said.

"Our last classes end at four," Brooke said.

Max punched Chloe in the shoulder and said, "dude, you went here for years and you've been meeting me after class for days and you don't remember when classes end?"

"I like to have conversations," Chloe said, "speaking of...what  _ are  _ your afternoon classes?"

"Media Lab then Photography," Max said.

"Wait, I thought your photo class was cancelled," Chloe said.

Max opened her mouth but Daniel said, "Max is teaching it!"

Chloe's eyes widened.

"Er...well it's both me and Victoria, actually," Max said, "she's doing the actual teaching and I'm running the feedback session."

"What?" Chloe said, grabbing Max's shoulders, "you're  _ teaching a class _ and you didn't tell me?"

"Uh oh," Warren said, scooting away.

"Um, honestly it just slipped my mind," Max said with a shrug, "we were kind of busy last night."

Kate, who had been sipping water, spit it out. Alyssa and Dana both attempted wolf whistles, with only the latter succeeding. Chloe laughed loudly.

"Shit...that did not come out right," Max said.

"Max, you are the best," Chloe said.

Max sunk down, blushing.

"I can't win," she said.

"Anyways," Chloe said, "let's all meet at Max's room at 4:30. I'll have the stuff for Kate and I'll get a Chloe decoy. Oh, and walkie talkies and shit. Fuck, I'd better get going."

"Er...wait," Max said, "we also all need to keep an eye out for the creepster."

"What's the creepster?" Brooke said.

Max described the mysterious intrusions from the last couple of nights.

The group was silent again until Alyssa spoke up, "that's creepy."

"No kidding," Warren said.

"And wait, he was in the  _ girl's _ dorm hall?" Dana said.

"Er...yes," Max said, "but we're not sure if it was the same person and it might have been one of the PIs...maybe."

"Or the creepster might be Sean Prescott himself," Chloe said, "gracing us with his asshole presence."

"Either way," Max said, "everyone should keep an eye out for someone  _ else  _ sneaking around tonight...someone who would match the description of the creepster."

The group nodded.

"Fuck, I'm not part of tonight's thing and I'm  _ still  _ going to keep an eye out," Dana said.

"Me too," Juliet said.

"Well, now that all of that's covered, I  _ really _ need to go to get prepped for this," Chloe said.

She stood but then leaned over, surprising Max with a kiss on the forehead before rushing out of the lunch room.

Max watched her go and turned back to find everyone staring at her.

"I'm...just going to sneak under the table now," Max said.

"Oh no you don't," Dana said, "we're all friends here...friends who think that you and your girlfriend are super adorable."

Max groaned.

"Would it make you feel better if we all described our  _ own  _ romantic encounters in detail?" Dana said.

Max raised an eyebrow at her while both Warren and Brooke shook their heads rapidly. Juliet tapped her cheek with her finger, saying, "hmm."

"I will put my fingers in my ears and hum," Kate said.

"See, Max," Dana said, "there are at least four of us at this table who are  _ totally  _ doing the things that you and Chloe are...um...well, not  _ exactly _ , I guess. You know…"

"We  _ know _ ," Brooke and Warren said simultaneously, followed by, "jinx! Double jinx! Triple jinx! Quadruple jinx! Quintuple jinx!"

They both paused, mouths open, before Warren said, "go for it; take it."

"Damn," Brooke said, "...sextuple jinx."

"Awesome," Juliet said, "good job keeping with the theme."

"Anyways, Max, there's no reason to be embarrassed," Dana said, "most stuff that you and Chloe do? Just remember that me and Trevor have probably done the same stuff...or the equivalent, I guess."

"And who knows what kinky stuff these two get up to?" Alyssa said, gesturing at Warren and Brooke.

"I feel as if we're developing an inaccurate reputation," Warren said, raising his hands.

"Yeah, honestly, despite all the talk, we're pretty vanilla," Brooke said, "at least so far." She grinned and Warren blushed.

"Ten dollars says you two have a list written down somewhere," Alyssa said.

"If so, you'll never find it," Warren said quickly.

"Oh, do not tell Chloe about it," Max said, "she  _ will  _ find it."

"What would she do with it...er...with such a list, if it existed," Brooke said, "which it doesn't."

"Oh, she wouldn't do anything awful," Max said, "Chloe's not that type of person. But she'd remember what was on it and find ways to sneakily  _ remind  _ you of it."

"What do you mean?" Warren said.

"Um...say that you had 'dress like pirates' on the list," Max started.

"That's pretty specific, Max," Juliet said, "do you have that on  _ your  _ list?"

"No!" Max said, "I can honestly say that we do not have a list. No list...seriously. But Chloe and I pretended to be pirates when we were kids and we went to our old pirate fort for our first date so it was on my mind."

"Ten dollars says you two totally dress up as pirates in the near future," Alyssa said, "before dressing  _ down  _ as pirates."

Kate stared open-mouthed at Alyssa and Max sat still for a moment.

_ I hate these moments where you just can't figure out what to say _ , Max thought,  _ I mean, there  _ has  _ to be a good response to that but I just can't...wait...oh duh _ .

Max thought for a moment more before smiling and rewinding.

"...dressing down as pirates," Alyssa said.

"Gee, thanks Alyssa, now  _ everyone  _ knows what Chloe and I will be doing after the Halloween party," Max said with a grin.

Kate sunk down, hands over her face and Daniel stared wide-eyed...but the rest of the table howled with laughter. Max stared over at Kate, concerned, but saw a smile under her hands.

_ Ah, okay, she's good _ , Max thought.

"Anyways, as I was saying," Max said, "if you had 'dress like pirates' on your list, Chloe would say things like, 'I've got an extra eyepatch if you need one' or, 'don't break your peg leg tonight'...you know, things like that. Then she'd ruffle your hair or punch your arm or something to tell you that she's messing around."

The bell rang, cutting off any reply.

"Well, I guess we'll all have to continue this conversation later," Dana said brightly.

They said their farewells and, after depositing her lunch tray, Max made her way towards the Media Lab classroom.

_ That was...kind of fun _ , Max thought,  _ I guess I know why Beta Max enjoyed her lunch with that group so much. Of course,  _ she  _ didn't have Chloe kiss her in front of everyone. I can't believe I didn't rewind that...Chloe  _ must  _ be making me insane like her. Before I know it, I'll have dyed my hair, gotten a nose ring, and I'll be saying "hella" for real. _

Max felt her phone vibrate several times and she checked her texts as soon as she sat down in class:

**Chloe** : dude   
**Chloe** : already got the wigs   
**Chloe** : perfect blue one   
**Chloe** : the max one is decent enough   
**Chloe** : should fool mulder n sculy   
**Max** : Damn that was fast!   
**Max** : How did you get WIGS that quickly?   
**Chloe** : few blocks over   
**Chloe** : part time costume store   
**Chloe** : part time not so legal store   
**Chloe** : shady peeps r creative peeps   
**Chloe** : who knew   
**Max** : I'm guessing you knew.   
**Chloe** : yep yep   
**Chloe** : im queen of the shady people   
**Chloe** : just like ur queen of hipsters or something   
**Max** : And we shall unite our two kingdoms?   
**Chloe** : sounds like a marriage proposal   
**Chloe** : wheres my ring   
**Max** : Not legal in Oregon. For now.   
**Chloe** : fuq that shit   
**Chloe** : elope   
**Max** : Not the first time you've said that   
**Chloe** : really?   
**Chloe** : you proposed b4?   
**Max** : Actually it was you   
**Chloe** : did u accept?   
**Max** : It was a little soon...and you proposed because you were impressed that I tried to shoot Frank.   
**Chloe** : oh   
**Chloe** : awk   
**Max** : Yeah   
**Chloe** : ok lets come back to that later   
**Max** : Oh BTW, who's your decoy?   
**Chloe** : have an idea   
**Chloe** : not sure itll work yet   
**Max** : Is it someone shady but creative?   
**Chloe** : maybe   
**Max** : Is it your mom?   
**Chloe** : what no   
**Max** : David?   
**Chloe** : dude now im not gonna tell u   
**Chloe** : youll laf ur ass off if this works   
**Max** : Samuel?   
**Chloe** : no stop guessing!   
**Max** : :(   
**Chloe** : i swear u maxs r all the same   
**Max** : :|   
**Chloe** : i will find out how warren and brooke punish eachothr   
**Chloe** : and i will do that to u   
**Max** : I don't know if I should be scared of that.   
**Chloe** : ask warren   
**Max** : You know, I think I will.   
**Chloe** : i like it   
**Chloe** : badass max

Max switched over to her texts with Warren and began typing:

**Max** : Hey Warren, Chloe's threatening me with Brooke/Warren "punishments"   
**Max** : Should I be scared?   
**Warren** : Oh my god I can't even   
**Max** : Pleeeeeeease.   
**Warren** : Okay fine   
**Warren** : First Chloe would actually have to find out   
**Warren** : And if she did, you'd be fine   
**Max** : How fine?   
**Warren** : Is this Max or is this Chloe with Max's phone?   
**Max** : Chloe never uses capitalization, punctuation, or proper sentence structure.   
**Warren** : Just checking   
**Max** : Warren...how fine?   
**Warren** : Are you serious?   
**Max** : HOW FINE?   
**Warren** : Very fine   
**Warren** : It's great   
**Warren** : You'll have fun   
**Warren** : The whole "punishment" thing is just a joke   
**Max** : Thanks Warren you're the best!   
**Max** : I hope Brooke punishes you for this!   
**Warren** : O.O

Max chuckled and switched back to Chloe as the bell rang to start class:

**Max** : Warren says I'll like the punishments so bring it on.   
**Chloe** : damn   
**Chloe** : k   
**Chloe** : now need to find out what punishments r   
**Max** : Poor Warren   
**Chloe** : he can handle it   
**Chloe** : soon we find out if YOU can   
**Max** : :P   
**Chloe** : dammit   
**Max** : Oh shit, teacher here must go. Bye!   
**Max** : :*   
**Chloe** : i will return that in person only

Max smiled and put her phone away as Mr. Lee began outlining the day's lab activity.

**. . . . .**

After the bell rang, Max made her way towards the photography room. She'd spent a good part of the last hour and a half ignoring the Media Lab instructions and preparing a basic format for the photography feedback session instead. Nonetheless, she felt butterflies in her stomach and took several deep breaths to try to calm her nerves.

_ Do I really have any legitimacy here? _ Max thought,  _ I'm just a student, like all of the others. I mean...it's true that I'm one of the only ones who's kept going to the lab after Jefferson was arrested...and I did win the Everyday Heroes Contest...er, in one timeline, that is. But am I really good enough to tell other students what's good and not so good about  _ their  _ work? Ugh...okay, breathe, Max, breathe...you're not dictating...you're just leading a feedback session. It's open. Everyone is giving everyone feedback. And apparently I know my stuff. I may not know all of the finer points of photography like Victoria does...but I know composition and lighting and style...I can do this. _

In Max's head, that last part sounded a bit like a chorus of voices that included Chloe's, Kate's, Warren's, and even Victoria's.

_ Okay,  _ she thought as she reached the door to the classroom,  _ if I fuck up, all I have to do is rewind...personal cheat code _ .

She stepped into the room to find Victoria pacing near the front; she was the only one there.

"Hey, Victoria," Max said.

"Oh good," Victoria said, "I'll have at least one person to deliver my meticulously planned lesson to."

"I'm pretty sure Daniel and Alyssa will be here," Max said, walking towards the back of the room, "oh, and Stella should be here too since she and Daniel are the ones getting photos critiqued."

"Yes yes...and I told Taylor to be here too," Victoria said, resuming her pacing and waving her hand dismissively, "and Max, my lesson plan should take around 45 minutes. Will that be enough time for your session?"

Max sat and said, "hmm...I think that should be plenty of time."

Victoria stopped and narrowed her eyes, "don't you have a plan?"

"Yes, but it's pretty flexible," Max said, "I want to make sure that I give Daniel and Stella room to get what they need out of it."

"Fine, but make sure you keep your eye on the time," Victoria said, resuming her pacing.

Max made an exaggerated sigh and said, "yes, ma'am." She caught a glimmer of a smile on Victoria's face.

Moments later, Hayden walked into the room.

"Hey, Victoria. Hey, Max," he said, "wow...this is actually happening. You guys are pretty awesome for doing this."

"Wasn't sure you'd show up," Victoria said.

"Are you kidding?" he said, "I've never seen a class taught by the students. No way I'm going to miss out on this."

Daniel and Alyssa filed in next, followed by Stella. Taylor walked in next, a sour expression on her face.

_ I'm guessing she wasn't too happy about Victoria pressuring her to be here _ , Max thought,  _ and wow...this is the entire class...except Kate, of course _ .

However, just as the bell rang, Kate came rushing into the room. Her eyes darted quickly between the people in the room and she ducked down, scurrying over to her typical desk.

Max and Victoria looked at one another. Victoria's expression softened and Max gave her a nod of encouragement.

"Alright everyone," Victoria said, her voice carrying clearly through the room, "thank you for coming to what we're calling Real Photography. Each class will be divided into two parts: I will be covering historical and technical topics for the first forty-five minutes and then Max will lead a feedback session for the remaining time."

She looked around at the class, her gaze lingering on Kate momentarily.

"I was originally looking to follow our old syllabus," Victoria said.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop. Max knew that there would be no escaping the shadow of Mark Jefferson here...she wished at that moment that she would have had a chance to plan things out with Victoria beforehand. Max glanced over at Kate, who was sitting rigidly still, her gaze fixed somewhere behind Victoria and her lips forming a tight line.

_ I think Victoria's got this...but if she can't get past this, particularly for Kate, I'll rewind back to before class and talk to her _ , Max thought.

"However," Victoria continued, "our gaping asshole of a teacher left notes that were overflowing with pompous, ego-inflating bullshit...so it was completely useless."

A few chuckles floated through the air. Max hazarded a glance over at Kate again, whose shoulders had noticeably relaxed.

"So, we're going to take things in a different direction, which I'm sure everyone will be fine with," Victoria said, walking back over to the desk, "the school has removed everything about Mark Jefferson it could. So let's get him out of our class for good too."

She grabbed a few sheets of paper, holding them up to show that it was a copy of the old syllabus. She then tore it in half, tore the pieces in half again, and tossed the pieces into the bin beside the desk.

Hayden and Stella cheered; Alyssa clapped and Max caught a small smile from Kate.

"With that shit out of the way, here's a new syllabus," Victoria said, picking up a stack of papers and walking to the center of the room to hand them out, "we have no idea how long Max and I will be doing this so I only prepared three classes' worth of topics. If Blackwell hasn't found a new teacher by then, we'll keep going."

After handing out the papers, Victoria went to a stack of photo books and opened one up, beginning her lesson.

Overall, Max thought it was one of the best photography lessons she'd experienced. Victoria could stand to mellow her authoritative tone...and Max was concerned that the pace might be too fast and too detailed for some of the class to follow. Most of the class was scrambling to copy down notes quickly enough.

_ I can give her some feedback later _ , Max thought,  _ for now, I'm just going to enjoy how much better this is than Jefferson's, as Victoria put it, pompous bullshit. I still can't believe none of us saw what he really was... _

**. . . . .**

Victoria finished her lesson at 3:16. She assigned no homework because, as she put it, "I fucking hate homework; just go take some photos in one of the styles that we discussed."

Everyone in the class smiled at that.

"Alright, Max, you're up," Victoria said, taking a seat.

Max took a deep breath and said, "okay, everyone...we're going to take the rest of the time today to do some...to do feedback sessions on photos."

Max glanced around; everyone was staring back at her, expectantly. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

_ There's no fucking way I'd be able to do this if I couldn't rewind _ , Max thought.

She sat up straighter and continued, "both Daniel and Stella volunteered to have us look at their photos...so what we'll do is focus on one of them for about twenty minutes and then the other. For each of them, we'll start by having them give an overview of how they're feeling about their styles and then I'll start the feedback. Then we can go around the room and whoever wants to comment can do so. It's meant to be an open forum and, more than anything else, it's meant to be...supportive and honest. Photography is art, which means that it's subjective. We'll all be offering our opinions on the things that Daniel and Stella are rocking as well as the things we think they could improve. We may disagree on things and that's okay...it's really up to Daniel and Stella to take our comments and work them into their own artistic visions."

Max paused and Stella chuckled wryly. Max raised an eyebrow at her.

"Um," Stella said, "I was just thinking that this sounds a hell of a lot better than douchebag Jefferson using every one of our photos as an opportunity to talk about his own work. This...group support sounds a lot more like what we need...instead of just one creepy-ass opinion."

"That's the idea," Max said with a smile, "remove the creep and bring in the artists, which is all of  _ us _ . So...Daniel? Stella?"

They looked at each other and both shrugged.

"Alphabetical?" Stella said, gesturing a thumb towards Daniel.

"Sure, I will go," Daniel said, fumbling with a folder on his desk and taking out a short stack of photos.

_ He sure looks nervous _ , Max thought.

Max stood up and walked over, taking the photos from Daniel and looking through them.

_ Hmm...they're not that great, honestly _ , Max thought,  _ but he's such a good artist. I wonder if I can get us to go down  _ that _ path again...the one from the erased week _ .

Max passed the photos around and said to Daniel, "why don't you tell us what you think of your photos; how do you feel about these?"

"Well...I…," Daniel looked around the room and seemed to deflate, "I do not really like my photographs; I'm just not an artist. I think perhaps I should give up and just stick to my sketchbook."

_Okay, need to do some confidence boosting here...so...what the hell_ was _it that I said to him before_ _about this...shit...okay, it was by the tree outside of the dormitory when Chloe and I were trying to find out more about Nathan. And_ ugh _, it was right after Chloe said that she had the hots for Jefferson. She is_ so _confusing sometimes._

Max realized that everyone was staring at her.

_ Oops _ , she thought, rewinding a few moments.

_ Okay _ , she thought,  _ start with the drawings...I'm pretty sure I said something to connect his sketching and photography _ .

"Daniel, I think almost everyone here has seen your drawings and how good they are," Max said, "so you're definitely an amazing artist."

Max glanced around and saw most of the class nodding.

"I love your sketches, Daniel," Kate said softly.

"I...thank you," Daniel said.

More people chimed in with their praise for Daniel's sketches. Max noticed that he sat up a little straighter and smiled.

_ I'm...not sure he's actually received much acknowledgement of his skills before _ , Max thought.

"I guess...maybe my drawings are good," Daniel said, "but what does that have to do with my photography?"

"Maybe look at it this way," Max said, "your drawings are your photographs."

_ Yes, that was it _ , Max thought.

"I suppose…," Daniel said, "if I could draw my photographs, that would be good. But I can't choose the subjects in class."

"Maybe not under Jefferson," Victoria chimed in, "but I don't give a shit and it seems Max doesn't either. We want everyone to find their own vision."

"Exactly," Max said, "the techniques and examples and styles that we talk about are meant to be ways that you can experiment. Try them out, try variations on them and mold them into expressions of how  _ you _ want things to look."

"But how would I do that?" Daniel said.

"I'd say to imagine that you're drawing what you're photographing," Max said, "imagine how you'd sketch it and then compose the shot to match. Make the camera your 'lens pen'."

_ Lens pen...that was it _ , Max thought,  _ I guess I have a pretty decent memory...there are a lot of things that I'd like to forget from that lost week...but anything that can help my friends is worth keeping _ .

"'Lens pen'...I think that might work for me," Daniel said, smiling, "I dig that."

Max smiled back and said, "awesome, then let's dig into these photos and get specific."

Daniel frowned and said, "do we really have to? I'm not so proud of these."

"I'm thinking that we can go through them and I'd encourage you to imagine how you would have sketched it...or if you were even interested in the shot to begin with," Max said, "then, with our collective wisdom, we can talk about technique ideas to get the image to match your mind sketch."

"That sounds good," Daniel said, reaching out to take one of his photos back from Stella.

_ This is so good _ , Max thought _ , he actually seems excited to explore this. _

Daniel gathered the rest of his photos and showed the class which ones he hadn't really been interested in taking in the first place. They then dove into the remaining photos. Daniel looked at them carefully and provided his own critique, pointing out how he would have sketched it differently. The lighting, the angle, the composition. And the class responded. Even Taylor and Hayden, who'd always been fairly quiet during Jefferson's photography classes, chimed in. People remarked on what parts of Daniel's photos they liked and which parts they thought matched Daniel's vision. And people gave suggestions on how to bring them closer to that vision. At one point, Victoria suddenly sat up, her eyes wide. She marched over to her stack of photography books and picked one up, flipping through it as Alyssa gave feedback on a particular photo. She came back and dropped the open book in front of Daniel, making him jump.

"Here," she said, "how do these look?"

Daniel scanned the page and said, "wow, these are very close to what I was thinking."

Victoria smiled and said, "excellent, go ahead and take that book with you; there are some more examples in there that would be useful. Just don't spill anything on it."

"I won't...and thank you," Daniel said.

After a few more minutes of discussion, Victoria cleared her throat and Max checked the clock; a little over twenty minutes had passed.

_ I suppose it's ironic for someone to have to remind  _ me  _ about the time _ , Max thought.

She closed out the discussion of Daniel's last photograph, delighted to see how encouraged Daniel had become.

They moved onto Stella's work and quickly discovered that her photographs represented a haphazard mix of styles. The group picked apart what Stella liked and didn't like, quickly finding that she was still searching for her own style. Suggestions came pouring out of each person in the class based on Stella's favorite images. Victoria once again dug through books and found some examples that caught Stella's eye. As the time for the bell approached, they'd left Stella with a far better notion of how to further refine her style.

"Okay everyone," Max said as Victoria eyed the clock, "I think that this feedback session went really well."

The entire class nodded in agreement.

"Thank you so much for all of your feedback for Daniel and Stella," Max said, "and thank both of  _ you _ for being willing to put your work forward like this. It's not easy."

"Thank you all for your help," Daniel said.

"Yeah, thanks; this was great," Stella said.

"Alright then," Max said, "we'll do the same thing again on Monday. Any volunteers for feedback on Monday?"

Alyssa and Taylor raised their hands, followed by Hayden.

"Okay, let's do Alyssa and Taylor on Monday and then Hayden during our shorter class on Tuesday," Max said, "sound good?"

The class nodded and the bell rang.

"Take awesome photos!" Max said as the class began to file out.

Max turned to find Victoria still seated, her legs crossed and an arm on her desk.

"Good job, Max," Victoria said.

"Thanks; you too," Max said, "your lesson was amazing...I think I learned more today than in weeks of Jefferson's rambling."

"Thanks...and I can hardly believe how well you got Daniel and Stella to open up," Victoria said, "I was...surprised that they volunteered."

"Hmm...I wonder if Daniel might have been at the end of his rope...looking for either a last chance at photography or confirmation to give up," Max said, shrugging, "as for Stella, I don't really know her that well."

"Me neither," Victoria said.

"And you did a great job of getting them motivated," Max said.

"Well, I have to admit, it was...it felt good to do that," Victoria said, her brow knitted.

Max again imagined a 'does not compute' message flashing in Victoria's head.

"Here's hoping that the next class goes just as well!" Max said, patting Victoria's shoulder.

Max grabbed her bag and exited the room, leaving Victoria looking slightly confused.


	9. Unexpected Research

When Max returned to her room, she tossed her bag onto the couch and sat down heavily on the bed.

_ Wowser, it feels like  _ weeks  _ since I've been alone in my own room...er, without some urgent thing to look up or some life-or-death situation in front of me, that is _ , Max thought, her eyes drawn to the mesmerizing motion of her laptop's screensaver,  _ what do I even do? I've got...twenty minutes or so until people start showing up. Hmm...I haven't taken an emergency photo lately...I should really be keeping up with that, particularly with the creepster creeping around _ .

She took out her camera and glanced around, finding an interesting pattern among the shadows on her wall. She snapped the photo, wrote the date and time on it, and slid it into the emergency photo slot in her bag.

_ Okay...now what?  _ Max thought,  _ I guess...I could do some research on that old post office building that Chloe and I are supposed to break into tonight. _

Max moved to her desk and woke her computer, scanning Arcadia Bay on Google Maps and finding the building Chloe had described. Max propped her chin up with her hand and zoomed in.

_ Just a typical Arcadia Bay building...couple of stories, couple of doors,  _ Max thought,  _ not that interesting. Huh, doesn't feel like there's much I can do about this mission right now. _

She lazily moused around on the map, tracing paths to the Two Whales, to Chloe's house, up to Blackwell, and out to the lighthouse.

_ Hmm...I wonder what we'll do  _ after  _ we're done with this craziness tonight. I wonder if… _

Max's thoughts wandered to Chloe's kiss at lunch. It had been so gentle...so surprising...and so sweet. At the same time, it was...very different from what Beta Max's journal entries had to say on the subject. Max thought about those detailed descriptions and felt butterflies in her stomach.

_ I wonder if Chloe will want to do  _ that  _ tonight _ , Max thought,  _ and...if we did...would it be like Beta Max described? I...hope so _ , a tingle of adrenaline shot through her and she chuckled nervously,  _ or maybe we'll be too tired...but then again, Chloe and previous me  _ did  _ make out right after breaking into and out of the Prescotts' house. So tonight  _ could  _ be the night for us. And...um...now that I think of it, Chloe will eventually want to do  _ more  _ than just make out _ .

The butterflies sensation intensified and Max glanced around the room.

_ Why the hell am I so nervous? _ she thought,  _ Chloe obviously wants to have sex...with me. And...huh...I don't think I've ever really  _ thought  _ about it before. Do  _ I  _ want to do it? I think...yeah...I do. I  _ love _ being close to Chloe...and sex means getting even closer...like, really close. Although...hmm, how would we...um...do it? My health classes definitely never covered  _ that.

Curiosity tugged at Max's brain and she opened an incognito tab on her screen, pausing for a moment before shrugging and typing, "how to have lesbian sex." She scrolled through the search results, biting her lower lip and opening some promising-looking blogs. She scanned through a couple before finding one that had a list...with diagrams.

_ Okay,  _ Max thought, starting to scroll through, this  _ looks helpful for someone as clueless about this as I am _ .

She leaned close to the screen, looking at the first suggestion in the list.

_ Well _ , she thought,  _ that looks simple enough. _

She scrolled further.

_ Huh, that too...this really isn't that different from what I do to myself...just doing it to Chloe instead...which...yeah, I like that idea _ .

She scrolled further.

_ Oh, I do  _ not  _ think I'm quite ready for that _ , Max thought, blushing.

She scrolled again.

_ Aaaand if I'm not ready for that last one, I'm  _ definitely  _ not ready for that one either _ , she thought,  _ although...it  _ does  _ look like it could be really fun. _

She shuffled in her seat, feeling very warm and biting her lip again. She scrolled down further.

_ Wowser, that looks  _ really  _ intense _ , she thought,  _ that's...I think I'd be okay trying that _ .

She leaned in closer and scrolled further.

_ Okay...that's just a different way of doing that other one _ , she scrolled,  _ and that too _ , she scrolled,  _ and that too _ , she thought.

She scrolled again and her eyes widened.

_ And  _ that  _ requires accessories _ , she thought,  _ huh...was there a list or something that covered that kind of stuff? _

She started scrolling back up to the top...then she froze as a gentle knock sounded at her door...and the door clicked open.

Kate's voice came from the door, "hey, Max, I know I'm a bit early…"

Max slammed her laptop closed and spun around in time to see Kate, one foot into the room, jump into the air.

"Oh...I'm sorry," Kate said, stepping back, "I can come back if you're doing something."

"No, Kate, it's okay, I'm sorry," Max said, her voice unusually high, "you just startled me. I was...um...reading something and all of my attention was there. You just surprised me."

"Are you sure it's okay?" Kate said, clutching the door.

"Yes, of course," Max said, managing a smile, "come in."

Kate stepped slowly into the room and walked over to sit on the couch.

_ Okay...next time I'm researching anything private...especially something  _ that _ private, I need to remember to lock the damn door _ , Max thought. Max pushed what she'd been reading out of her mind...a task made far easier with Kate staring at her.

Max quietly released a breath and said, "I'm glad you came to the photography class today."

"I'm...I'm glad I came too," Kate said with a small smile, "I decided to make it part of my healing process. Separating the class and the subject from...from the instructor."

_ Not the easiest thing to do _ , Max thought, absentmindedly rubbing her right wrist.

"I know it's difficult to make that separation," Max said, "I think...a big part of it is owning it; your photos are  _ your _ art. The classroom is  _ our  _ classroom. The subject is  _ our _ subject now. I'm just glad they were so quick to erase all of his stuff from the school."

"Me too," Kate said, nodding, "I just couldn't stand to see it everywhere."

"And I can't believe I used to admire those pieces so much," Max said, "it all looks so different now, knowing what was really behind it."

"You seem to have thought a lot about this, Max," Kate said, "are you...doing okay?" Kate said.

_ So like Kate _ , Max thought,  _ concerned about others even when she's in the middle of her own struggles _ .

"Yeah, I'm doing okay," Max said, "it's really sweet of you to ask. I'm working my way through it...can't say I haven't thought about trotting down to the jail and giving that asshole a verbal tear-down."

Kate opened her mouth to respond but another knock sounded at the door and they heard Brooke's voice say, "Warren, just open the door."

"But what if she's changing or something?" Warren's voice responded.

"We're all friends here, don't worry about it," Brooke's voice said.

Max and Kate smiled at each other and they nodded; they'd continue their conversation later.

The door edged open slowly and then swung open in front of Brooke's outstretched hand.

"See, it's Max and Kate, fully clothed," Brooke said, stepping in.

Warren grumbled something and followed Brooke.

Alyssa walked in moments later, a pair of books in hand.

"Hey, Alyssa," Max said, gesturing at the books, "what are you going to read?"

"Poetry and fiction," Alyssa said.

Figuring that that was all she'd get out of Alyssa, Max looked around at the group. Brooke and Warren had taken seats on Max's bed and Alyssa sat next to Kate.

"Thanks for helping us out with this," Max said.

"No problem," Warren said, "besides, this is way more exciting than what any of us are normally up to."

"And  _ I'm _ really curious why these private investigators are following you around," Brooke said, "and, of course, how you and Chloe intend on getting into their office…"

She gazed at Max expectantly...as did the others.

"Er...just trust us," Max said, "um...Chloe has...certain skills."

Max cringed internally as she said that, realizing that Chloe would have certainly pulled a dirty joke out of it. But with Max's current audience, it was taken without innuendo.

"Okay, Max," Brooke said, "inquiring minds won't dig too deep."

"So...speaking of inquiring minds, I wasn't paying that much attention at lunch," Alyssa said, "what's the plan again?"

"Er...it sounds like you'll be out in front of the the building the PIs are using as their headquarters," Max said, "watching to make sure they don't come back while Chloe and I are busy in there."

Again, Max cringed internally and thought,  _ if Chloe were here,  _ none  _ of these accidental innuendos would go unnoticed _ .

"And...Brooke and Warren will be keeping an eye on one or both of the PIs via car and...maybe drone?" Max continued.

"Got my keys," Warren said, patting his pocket.

"And I've got my drone," Brooke said, "um...not here, of course. It's in Warren's car. Speaking of which, I can't exactly follow a car around long distance with it."

"Yeah," Max said, "I'm not sure how much distance the PIs might cover. Maybe Chloe has more news."

"Yeah, I hope she's gathered enough intelligence," Brooke said.

"She's surprisingly thorough," Max said.

Max cringed inside yet again and thought,  _ oh come on...is that  _ really  _ innuendo? The Chloe influence in my brain has obviously expanded...a lot _ .

"And finally," Max said, shaking her thoughts away, "Kate is going to be me."

Kate grinned.

"Who do you think Chloe's going to get as  _ her  _ decoy?" Warren said.

Max shrugged and said, "I have no idea. My guess is that someone in her...um, network...may look enough like her to…"

At that moment, Max's door swung open and Chloe stepped in.

"Alright, boys and girls," she said, "I present...my doppelganger."

She stepped further in and a scowling Victoria stepped in after her.

Brooke's jaw dropped, Alyssa dropped her books, Warren slipped off of the bed, and Max's eyes went wide.

"Hi, Victoria," Kate said.

Victoria nodded at Kate and said, "I would have preferred to have had far less of an  _ entrance _ ."

Chloe put an arm around Victoria's shoulders and squeezed, saying, "oh, come on, I think it suited you just fine." Victoria looked intensely uncomfortable until Chloe released her.

Chloe stepped over to Max and whispered, "big win in Operation Gooey Center, huh?"

"But...how?" Max whispered back.

"Since most of you look like you caught your parents fucking or something," Victoria said loudly, drawing Max's attention, "you must be wondering why I agreed to this."

Chloe grinned and everyone else nodded.

"Well, Arcadia Bay's most offensive punk here told me that PIs have been following her and Max around...and that Sean Prescott may have hired them," Victoria said, "Chloe then asked if I'd be willing to help distract them from some breaking and entering by playing dress-up. The whole idea's hilarious so why the fuck not? Besides, I find more reasons to hate Sean Prescott every day and if I can do something to ruin his little games, I'm in. Even if it means hanging out with all of  _ you _ for a few hours."

"Thanks, Victoria," Max said, smiling, "that really means a lot."

A smile tugged at Victoria's lips and she said, "yeah, sure."

"Awesomesauce," Chloe said, "now that we've got this hella sweet team assembled, it's go time. Scully followed me back here in her grey car. I also found out that they have a second car. Red one. Here are photos of both with the license plate numbers." She handed pictures to Brooke and Warren.

"According to my shady friends," Chloe said, "one of these goons follows Max and I around. The other one sticks close to the center of town...drives around the block every once in awhile to avoid looking too suspicious. So, Kate was spot on."

Chloe gave a thumbs-up to Kate and Kate grinned.

"So...it sounds like  _ I'll _ be settling my ass in town and using my drone to keep track of...um...Mulder?" Brooke said.

"Yep," Chloe said.

"And I'll be following Scully in the grey car?" Warren said.

"Yep," Chloe said.

"And Scully will be following Kate and Victoria?" Warren said.

"Yep yep," Chloe said.

"How will we do the switcheroo?" Max said, "between you and me and Kate and Victoria?"

"Ah," Chloe said, "so...Victoria and Kate will drive over to the music shop first. I got my future boss to let us use the store for this. It's fucking amazing what people will help you out with when you mention that you're doing something anti-Douchecott."

Victoria smirked.

"Then, after waiting a few minutes, you and I," Chloe said, ruffling Max's hair (Victoria raised an eyebrow), "will drive to the music store. We'll hand over our clothes to Victoria and Kate, they'll put the wigs on, and drive off in my truck. Then you and I sneak over to PI Town."

"Er...I should probably point out that after we give our clothes to Kate and Victoria, we'll probably draw a lot of attention wandering around Arcadia Bay in our underwear," Max said.

"Dude, we'll bring a change of clothes...I've got my ninja clothes and you've got your...um...sorta ninja clothes," Chloe said.

"My  _ ninja  _ clothes?" Max said.

"Oh right...Beta...I mean...shit," Chloe said, glancing around.

"It's okay," Max said, "what were the ninja clothes?"

Everyone stared at them.

"You're going to...you know?" Chloe said.

Max nodded.

"Er...other you had really dark jeans, a dark purple shirt, a black hoodie, and some obnoxiously bright pink gloves," Chloe said quickly.

" _ Other  _ you?" Brooke said. Warren's brow furrowed.

"Was that from...er...apartment hunting?" Max said.

"Yeah," Chloe said.

"Um, what the hell is going on?" Victoria said.

Max ignored her and said, "I probably didn't wash those yet but they might be okay. If not, I'll find something else." She shrugged.

"Ah, got it...and, um, you'd better do the thing before we get mobbed here," Chloe said.

Warren looked up and said, "hey, wait a second…"

"Sorry, Warren," Max said, "I promise I'll let you in on the secret again at some point."

Max rewound before anyone could respond, watching the last thirty seconds play out in reverse around her. She stopped.

"...um...sorta ninja clothes," Chloe said.

"Oh yeah," Max said, "I'll have to check if I washed them."

" _ Ninja _ clothes? What the hell do you two get up to?" Brooke said.

"Now, that's private between us," Chloe said, snaking an arm around Max, "but it usually involves running around in more than just underwear. Well... _ usually _ ."

Victoria's head tilted and her eyes widened.

"Wait a second," she said, "are you...you're  _ actually _ …"

"Oh yes," Chloe said and Max nodded, grinning sheepishly.

"Shit...then  _ seriously _ , why the fuck  _ weren't _ you in the shower together this morning?" Victoria said.

Max blushed furiously and Warren started coughing.

" _ Anyways _ ," Max said, "about the plan..."

"No, you do  _ not  _ get to change the subject yet," Victoria said, "when did it happen?"

"Had our first date last night," Chloe said.

"Have you gotten busy already?" Victoria said with a sly smile.

"Damn, Victoria," Chloe said, putting a hand on her hip, "that's normally the kind of question  _ I _ ask."

"No kidding," Warren mumbled.

"Um...so before we go down  _ that  _ particular rabbit hole...," Max said.

"Oh, so there  _ is _ a rabbit hole to go down?" Victoria said, smirking.

"It's a very shallow rabbit hole," Max said.

"You and Chloe looking to dig it deeper?" Victoria said.

Max stood with her mouth open as Chloe howled with laughter.

Max glanced around the room: Warren was shaking his head, Brooke sat with an awkward smile frozen on her face, Kate was looking back and forth between Victoria and Max, her mouth slightly open, and Alyssa had cracked open one of her books.

_ Okay _ , Max thought,  _ there's no way I'm going to win this verbal sparring match and Chloe is of  _ no  _ help. Different tactic _ .

Max looked at Victoria, shrugged, and winked.

Victoria smiled, looking satisfied.

_ Huh _ , Max thought,  _ looks like that worked...sometimes it's the simple things. _

"Okay, now that we've gotten super deep into my and Chloe's personal lives, anything else before we get going?" Max said.

"How are...damn, still trying to get past what just happened," Brooke said, "um...okay...how are we communicating?"

"And how am I getting blue hair?" Victoria said.

"Oh," Kate said, "and how am I getting Max's pretty hair?"

"I'm glad...you...asked," Chloe said, still catching her breath from laughing, "here."

She reached into a bag at her feet and began pulling out items, starting with walkie talkies that she handed to Victoria, Brooke, and Alyssa (who looked up from her book for just a moment to take it). She then pulled out a blue wig that looked remarkably like her own hair, handing it to Victoria. Next came a brown wig that looked...less like Max's hair.

"Sorry," Chloe said, handing the wig to Kate, "this was the closest I could find...the style is about right and the color isn't too far off...should work...as long as we can get it over Kate's gigantic hair."

"Oh, that shouldn't be too hard," Kate said, "I can let it down and tuck it into the back of my shirt. As long as the PIs don't get too close, they shouldn't notice."

"Awesome," Chloe said, "and I think this means we're ready. Victoria, do you know where the music store is?"

"The one a block away from the grocery store?" Victoria said.

"Yeah," Chloe responded.

"Yes; ready to go, Kate?" Victoria said.

"Yep," Kate said, standing, "this should be fun. Want me to bring any music, Victoria?"

"Um...I already...sure, what do you like?" Victoria said.

"I love classical music," Kate said, stepping out into the hall.

"Er...okay, I guess I could go for that," Victoria said. She stepped out and closed the door behind her.

"You think they'll be okay together?" Warren said, "after...you know...the whole video thing?"

"Yeah," Max said, "I think Victoria feels really guilty about that...they...talked about it already so I think they'll be fine."

Neither Brooke or Warren looked completely convinced but they both nodded; Alyssa continued to read her book.

"Well...do you have everything you need?" Max said to them.

"Yep, just need an Alyssa," Brooke said; they both stood.

"Yo, Alyssa!" Warren said.

"What?" Alyssa said, looking up, "oh...where did Kate and Victoria go?"

"They left after we thoroughly discussed Max and Chloe's sex life," Brooke said wryly.

"Oh...huh...I guess I should pay more attention if I want the interesting gossip," Alyssa said, standing and turning to Max and Chloe, "I hope you guys have great sex. See you later."

She followed Brooke and Warren out, both of whom were chuckling.

The door closed and Max collapsed onto her bed, putting her head in her hands.

Chloe laughed and said, "wow, who would've thought Victoria would be such a riot?"

"Oh my god," Max said.

"Oh, don't worry," Chloe said, sitting next to her, "they'll lose interest. Give it a few days and all of our personal stuff will be private again."

"Fuck, I hope so," Max said, looking over at Chloe, "I...like that people know about us...but the attention gets a little...intense at times."

"Oh, I'll give you some intense attention," Chloe said, winking.

"You are seriously out of control," Max said.

"Very true," Chloe said.

"So when are  _ we  _ heading out?" Max said.

"Eh, maybe five...ten minutes?" Chloe said, "enough time to let everyone get set up."

"Sounds good to me," Max said, "I'll change into new clothes so that I'm not giving Kate the ones I've been wearing all day...and I'll find my 'ninja' clothes."

"Shit, I was so glad you knew about that," Chloe said, "I was worried that I fucked up there."

"Er...I actually didn't know about it...we kind of freaked everyone out and I think Warren started to figure out the truth," Max said.

"Damn...so you rewound?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said, digging into her closet. As she expected, most of her so-called ninja outfit was in her laundry basket. She pulled out the pants and shirt, sniffed at them gingerly, and quickly threw them back in, eliciting a chuckle from Chloe.

"Yo, G, mind if I look this building up and check out some satellite pics?" Chloe said.

"Sure," Max said, grabbing the darkest clothes she could find in her closet and setting them aside, "computer's unlocked."

With her new 'ninja' outfit selected, Max began changing into the clothes she'd be handing over to Kate.

A few moments passed and Chloe said, "so...um...Max. Not to freak you out but...I see that you've been doing some...unexpected research here."

"Huh?" Max said, turning around, her jeans only halfway up one leg.

Chloe was looking over at her from the desk, a nervous smile on her face. Behind her, on the laptop screen...

Max's eyes went wide. She'd completely forgotten what had been on her screen before Kate came in.

"I...I…," Max stammered, her face reddening.

"Don't you dare rewind!" Chloe said quickly.

"No...I won't...I just...," Max said, "this is so embarrassing."

Chloe stood up and walked over, wrapping Max in a hug.

"Max, don't be embarrassed," Chloe said, "my search history is  _ full _ of stuff like that. You can tell me whatever you want about this stuff. Or nothing at all. Totally cool."

Max felt herself relaxing in Chloe's hug and said, "Thanks, Chloe. I...wowser...I came back to my room and got...curious. I knew that you...that you'd want to be doing that kind of thing at some point. I wanted to find out...you know...what it would actually...involve."

"And?" Chloe said, leaning away to look down at Max.

"And...well...it seems like it'll be fun," Max said, looking away to the floor with a shy smile.

"So...you want to have sex?" Chloe said.

"Er, not right now, of course...but yeah, I think...I mean yes, I do," Max said, smiling, "and...um...you do too?"

Chloe laughed and said, "hell yeah I want to get into your cute pants...but, like I said before, everything at your pace. No pressure...and if you feel pressure, ever, tell me." She held up her hands.

"Thanks, Chloe," Max said, "I'm...still a little embarrassed, to be honest."

"Eh, it's sorta karma," Chloe said.

"For what?" Max said.

"You...er...Beta Max found something in my search history," Chloe said, "it was kinda embarrassing for me."

"Oh?" Max said, putting her hands on her hips, "and what was it?"

"Nope, not telling," Chloe said, "you'll find out eventually."

Max smiled, remembering what Beta Max had written in the journal: "how to say i love you" had been in Chloe's search history.

_ Well _ , Max thought,  _ I guess Chloe just accidentally confirmed that it was real _ .

She felt her heart ballooning with feeling...she looked up into Chloe's eyes and very nearly said it…

_ Wait _ , Max thought,  _ is this the right time?  _ Is  _ there a right time to say it? I...not now...I'll know when the moment is right _ .

"Max, you okay?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said, "very okay."

"Sweet, let's get ready to go...you'd better finish putting on your pants," Chloe said.

"Yes, Cap'n," Max said.

"Arrr, ye best be prepared for some badass pirate action, Long Max Silver," Chloe said.

Max chuckled and finished dressing, grabbing her 'ninja' clothes and the last walkie-talkie and putting them in her bag.

"Before we go," Chloe said, "which of the things on this list are you most excited about?" She pointed at the laptop screen.

"Chloe!" Max said.

"What? I'm curious," Chloe said.

"Okay fine," Max said, striding over, "that one." She pointed to one of the first entries in the list.

"Ooh, simple...I like it," Chloe said, "why that one?"

"Um...it seems like a good way to start...it...well...it's kind of like what I do myself," Max said, her face turning red again.

"That's actually pretty intimate...I like the way you think," Chloe said, "it's kind of like I'll be you and you'll be me."

The way Chloe said that, with the definite future tense, brought an intense sensation of butterflies to Max's stomach.

"Okay, what else?...just one more?" Chloe said.

Max tried to muster a convincing glare and sighed loudly. Chloe stared back with what was clearly an attempt at an innocent expression.

Max wasn't at all fooled and couldn't help but smile.

She said, "sure, why not?"

She leaned over and scrolled down, hesitating before pointing at an entry.

"Oh, I  _ like _ the look of that," Chloe said, "I wonder if you're supposed to go, like, side to side or up and down?"

Max blushed again.

"I guess we'll just have to try it," Chloe said, punching Max's arm, "okay...I'll stop asking you to point out sex positions."

"What about you?" Max said, "which ones are  _ you  _ excited about?"

Chloe looked as if Max had given her an early Christmas present.

"I am so glad you asked. Let's see," Chloe said, leaning over the laptop and scrolling through the page, "I'm totally digging the ones you pointed out. As for me... _ that _ one."

"Oh...wowser," Max said, "I'm not sure I'd be ready for that."

"Oh yeah, I figured," Chloe said, grinning, "we'll have to work our way to that."

"Thanks," Max said, ruffling Chloe's hair for a change, "I'm really glad you're making comfort a priority with this."

"For you? Hell yeah," Chloe said.

"And...um...the reverse is true too," Max said, "let me know if I ask for something that  _ you're _ not comfortable with."

Chloe tilted her head and said, "oh yeah...hadn't thought of that. That's a good point. I guess we have  _ no idea _ how crazy you'll get."

Max punched her shoulder.

Chloe laughed and continued, "but thanks. Good to know we're both on the same page."

Max smiled then said, "oh, and you have to point out one more...you made me point out two."

"Oh yeah, let's see," Chloe said, scrolling again, "I have to say that I'm  _ very  _ intrigued by this." She pointed to an image.

"Hmm...that...um...seems to require some special items," Max said, "and I'm guessing you don't have those."

"Ha, no," Chloe said, "but hey, we can always pick some up in Portland."

"Oh my god," Max said, "I think I'd die if I walked into a store that sells that stuff."

Chloe laughed.

"Okay, I'm going to step away now," Max said, turning around and pulling more items out of Chloe's bag: a roll of duct tape and a blonde wig.

"Um...what are  _ these  _ for?" Max said, holding them up.

"Oh, those?" Chloe said, glancing over from the laptop screen, "those are for  _ this _ ." She scrolled down and pointed to a diagram that Max hadn't seen yet.

"Chloe..." Max said.

"Sorry, G," Chloe said, "that was just too good to pass up. But yeah, the wig is for me. My hair is hella awesome but it's also kind of a giveaway."

"And the duct tape?" Max said.

"Having duct tape around is always a good idea...right?" Chloe said, shrugging.

"I suppose," Max said, "if I channel my inner Warren, the answer is yes."

"Boom," Chloe said, turning back to the website.

"You sure are enjoying that site," Max said, putting the duct tape into her messenger bag and pulling out her camera.

"Dude, I'm still tripping over the fact that  _ you _ were looking at this," Chloe said, "honestly I thought you might not be interested at all."

Max, looking through the camera's viewfinder, said, "even after Beta me made out with you like crazy?"

"Good point," Chloe said, closing the laptop and turning around. Her eyes widened slightly and Max took the shot.

"Good expression," Max said.

"Huh, I don't know why I was surprised to see a camera on your face," Chloe said, sticking her tongue out, "but yeah...I don't know...I wouldn't say that you were...um...Kate-ish about sex...but you never mentioned anything so..." Chloe shrugged.

"Yeah," Max said, wrinkling her nose, "my sex life has had a population of one: me. And other than health class and my mom giving me 'the talk', I haven't talked with  _ anyone  _ about it before. I guess that's why I'm shy about it...and I'd never really  _ thought  _ about it very much either. I think I assumed it would just  _ happen _ ...that the opportunity would just present itself at some point. But if I'd actually been a decent friend and kept in contact with you, maybe…"

"Hey," Chloe said, tilting the chair back, "getting close to a danger zone there, Maxaroni. I mean yeah, the last five years have sucked and maybe things would've been better...or even sexier...with us in the same place. But that didn't happen. And it's in the past. And now we're best friends again.  _ And  _ you're my girlfriend...and holy fuck that's insane." She sat with her eyes wide.

"Yeah, no kidding," Max said with a smile. She stared down at Chloe, unsure of what to do.

_ We're in this weird kind of limbo _ , she thought,  _ we're dating, technically...but it feels like we haven't quite...let loose yet. Do I kiss her? Right now? Do I...I don't know...pat her head? _

"We're sort of in a weird spot, aren't we?" Max said out loud.

"Yeah, no kidding," Chloe said, "kind of feels like we're in neutral."

"Yeah, I'm not sure what to do," Max said, her brow furrowed.

Chloe stood up and walked over, draping her arms over Max's shoulders. Max looked up with a smile, putting her hands on Chloe's waist.

"Nothing," Chloe said, "just keep being you. I'll keep being me. We have that spark; I totally feel it...I guess it just needs the right moment to light up.  _ Boom! _ " She raised her hands above her head and then back to Max's shoulders.

"I feel the same," Max said, "that spark is burning...it's crazy hot too."

"Clearly," Chloe said, gesturing with her thumb to the laptop.

Max punched Chloe in the hip and Chloe chuckled.

"Okay, lovergirl, we'd better get to snooping...your next biggest skill after taking kick-ass photos," Chloe said.

"Damn right," Max said, "one more thing though."

Chloe raised an eyebrow and Max stood on her tiptoes, planting a soft kiss on Chloe's lips.

"Shit, Max, you're making me wish we weren't heading out of the bedroom right now," Chloe said.

"You are such a dork...which, by the way, is definitely near the top of  _ your  _ list of skills," Max said, picking up her bag.

"Yep yep," Chloe said, grabbing her keys.

"Do you have your wig?" Max said.

"Oh right," Chloe said, reaching down and grabbing it, "mind putting it in your bag until we get there?"

Max stuffed the wig into her bag and said, "it looks like a giant tribble."

"A what now?" Chloe asked, opening the door.

"Ask Warren," Max said, following Chloe into the hall.

They left the dorm and made their way towards the front of the school.


	10. Infiltration

"There's Scully," Chloe said quietly as they approached the sidewalk.

Max glanced over and saw the grey sedan, a woman barely visible in the driver's seat. They reached Chloe's truck and Max hopped in as Chloe started it up.

"Oh...heads up," Max said, "the group was asking how we're going to break into the PI office. I wasn't sure what to say so I insinuated that you had special skills…"

"In the bedroom, right?" Chloe said, grinning and swinging the truck into the road.

"I can't speak to _those_ skills, Chloe," Max said, "you still have to show me."

" _Yes_ , way to go, G," Chloe said, extending her fist.

Max bumped it and continued, "anyways, how _are_ we going to break in?"

"No idea," Chloe said, "but I do have a crowbar stashed at the music store. Beta Max and I used it to break into Fort Prescott. But it might not come to that...after all, I actually know a little about lock picking, thanks to Frank."

"Um…about that," Max said.

"Wait...shit...is there some timeline where I got killed from picking a lock or something?" Chloe said.

"No, it's just that in the time it took you to _try_ to pick the lock to Principal Wells' office, I was able to dig through the entire science classroom to get the ingredients for a bomb...and assemble said bomb," Max said.

"Ah, well, in that case, maybe we'll just break down the door," Chloe said, "and then you can use your hella teleportation magic to sneak inside, undo it, and let your girlfriend in."

"Sounds good," Max said.

"I love it when a plan comes together," Chloe said, pulling out a cigarette and holding it in her lips.

"Don't say that yet," Max said, "we've barely even started."

"Well, we've already got fish number one baited," Chloe said, looking pointedly at her rearview mirror.

Max didn't turn around but could imagine the grey sedan trailing behind them.

They arrived at the music store and the grey sedan turned onto a side street.

"Shit," Chloe said, "you think they're onto us?"

"Ask Warren and Brooke," Max said.

"Huh?...oh right," Chloe said, grabbing a walkie talkie.

"I'm pretty sure I saw Warren's car behind the grey one," Max said, peering around the back of the truck.

"Yo," Chloe said into the walkie talkie, "Warren, you got eyes on Scully?"

Silence.

"I think you're supposed to say…" Max started.

"You're supposed to say 'over' when you're finished talking, over," came Brooke's voice.

"Shit," Chloe said. She held the walkie talkie up and said, "Right...Warren. Scully? Over."

"Looks like she's going around the block and heading back to the music store, over," came Warren's voice.

"Shit, we'd better get inside," Chloe said, hurriedly opening her door. Max followed suit as Chloe said, "thanks, over," into the walkie talkie.

They rushed inside and made their way to the back, waving at the man behind the counter, who nodded at them with a smile partially hidden by a large mustache.

"Wowser, that guy has one hell of a wacky mustache," Max whispered.

"I know, right?" Chloe said, "I fucked up royally the first time I met him and Beta Max rescued me."

"Sounds about right," Max said with a smirk. Chloe elbowed her.

They rounded a corner and found Kate and Victoria standing in an aisle. Victoria had her arms crossed and was tapping her foot as Kate thumbed through a set of CDs, humming quietly.

"Finally," Victoria said when she caught sight of Max and Chloe.

"Hey, Max. Hey, Chloe!" Kate said, "they have an amazing selection of Christian bands here."

"I thought you were mostly into classical," Max said.

"Oh, she is," Victoria said, "we've been through the entire classical section already."

Kate smiled and said, "and _you_ asked for my recommendations there."

"Yes, that's true," Victoria said, her brow furrowing.

"So," Chloe said, "you two ready to transform into Punk Girl and Maximum Hipster?"

"Yes!" Kate said. Victoria grunted.

"Alright, Matt said we could use the back room," Chloe said, pointing towards a nearby door.

She turned towards the front of the store and shouted, "hey Matt, don't come into the back room unless you want to see four teenage girls undressing!"

"Seriously?" Victoria said, "why would you even say that?"

Matt called back from the front of the store, "I'm so glad that I hired such a quiet and low-key associate."

"I appreciate you too, Matt," Chloe called back.

She led them into the back room and Max and Chloe both slipped out of their pants and shirts, handing them over to Kate and Victoria.

As Max and Chloe put on their 'ninja' outfits, Victoria said, "Chloe, your clothes smell like weed. And cigarettes."

"If you find any weed in my pockets, you can have it," Chloe said, pulling a dark sweater over her head.

"Gee, thanks," Victoria said.

"Max, _your_ clothes smell really nice...like fresh laundry detergent," Kate said.

"Thanks, Kate," Max said, "and if you find any weed in _my_ pockets, Victoria can have it."

Victoria rolled her eyes.

Chloe chuckled and fished the blonde wig out of Max's bag and carefully placed it over her hair, completely covering the blue.

"How do I look?" Chloe said.

"Less punky," Kate said.

"You look like you did when we were kids," Max said, "this brings back memories. Here..."

Max reached up and adjusted the wig.

"Awesome, let's help our doppelgangers," Chloe said.

They easily slipped the blue wig over Victoria's short hair.

Max stepped back and looked up and down at Victoria.

"Wow," Max said, "you look _a lot_ like Chloe."

"Don't get any ideas, Max," Victoria said.

"Yeah, Max," Chloe said, "you'll make me hella jealous. And wow...this is making _me_ feel weird." She leaned close to Victoria, squinting.

"Don't _you_ get any ideas, Chloe," Victoria said, leaning back.

Max shook her head, smiling, and turned to help Kate with the brown wig.

"Alright Kate, how should we do this?" Max said.

"I'm thinking I can leave my hair straight down and put your hoodie on over it...and then put the wig on top," Kate said.

She fumbled with something behind her head, her face twisted in concentration, and then her hair tumbled down.

"Wow, Kate, you have a lot of hair!" Max said.

"Yeah, I'm growing it really long so I can donate it," Kate said with a smile.

"I...didn't know you could do that," Max said.

"They make, well, wigs," Kate said, pointing at the wig in Max's hands, "for kids and other people who've lost their hair."

"That's amazing," Max said, "and you have such beautiful hair...someone's going to get a wonderful wig from you."

"Thanks, Max," Kate said.

She put on Max's hoodie, hiding most of her hair. Max helped put the wig onto Kate's head and fussed with it to try to make it look closer to her own hairstyle before stepping back.

"How do I look?" Kate said, "would your parents mistake me for you?"

"Definitely not," Max said, "this wouldn't hold up at _all_ under close scrutiny...but it should do just fine for what we have in mind."

"Great!" Kate said.

"Damn, Kate, lookin' good," Chloe said.

"Er...don't get any ideas?" Kate said.

Chloe laughed loudly and Max chuckled; a smile tugged at Victoria's lips.

"You've been paying attention," Chloe said, "A-plus."

Kate blushed a little and said, "it's hard not to hear everything."

"Alright, so now what do we do?" Victoria said, arms crossed.

"Just do what we would do," Chloe said.

"Which would be what?" Victoria said, "listening to punk music, taking selfies, and making out?"

"Er...I'm really only okay with two of those," Kate said quietly.

"As a newly minted photography teacher, I'd very much encourage you to explore more of the selfie side of your photography," Max said, "but you don't have to do _everything_ we would do...your heads would probably explode from the sheer weirdness of it all."

"Oh, you two can't be _that_ weird," Kate said.

Max and Chloe shared a glance.

"Maybe not," Chloe said, "but better safe than sorry...I'd say just drive the truck around town...go to the beach or the lighthouse. Hang out. Chat it up. Play good music. No pop or classical stuff though...dead giveaway. And yeah, take selfies. Make out if you want to. No one here will judge."

Victoria glared at Chloe and turned to Kate, saying, "I like you, Kate, so I hope you don't take this the wrong way when I say I don't really want to make out with you tonight."

"That's okay, Victoria," Kate said, "I like you too but I'm okay with not making out."

"Now that _that's_ settled," Max said, "let's go. It's getting dark and we don't want to have this go too late."

"You heard Mad Max, let's go," Chloe said. Victoria and Kate left the room first and Chloe grabbed a crowbar from beneath a table. She held it behind her back and Max raised an eyebrow.

Chloe shrugged and said, "better if they _don't_ know I have this."

Max shrugged and they stepped out, following Victoria and Kate to the front of the store.

"Quick question," Victoria said, stopping before the door, "any tricks on driving that museum piece of yours?"

"Nope...well...er, the power steering is a little bit fucked but other than that just step on the pedals and stuff," Chloe said, holding out her keys.

"Good to know," Victoria said with a frown, accepting the keys and staring for a moment at the panda on the keychain.

"Good luck," Max said.

"You too!" Kate said; Victoria nodded.

Kate and Victoria stepped out of the store and Max and Chloe watched as they got into the truck and slowly drove away.

Chloe grabbed her walkie talkie and said, "yo Warren, Ice Queen and Little Angel are rolling. Let us know when the coast is clear."

"Over," Max said.

"Over," Chloe said into the walkie talkie.

"You know that we can hear you, right?" Victoria's voice said. They could hear Kate's voice in the background say, "over." Victoria sighed and said, "over."

"Aww, they're just like us," Chloe said before holding the walkie talkie button down and saying, "I know. That's why I said it...over."

A long sigh from Victoria came over the line, followed by, "over."

"Hey adventurers, Scully's on the move and...you're clear, over," Warren said.

"And Brooke? Still got Mulder in town? Over?" Chloe said.

"Yep," came Brooke's voice, "I've got my drone sitting on a rooftop and I'm watching him pick his nose, over."

"Gross," Chloe said, "and Alyssa...how's the HQ? Over."

"It's quiet...I'm having a nice time reading...I'm going to turn the volume down so shout if you want to talk to me...I'll let you know if I see anything...over," Alyssa said.

"Awesome, let's do this thing," Chloe said into the walkie talkie.

"Over," Max said.

"Shit...over," Chloe said.

They left the music store and crossed the street, heading for the post office building as quietly and inconspicuously as they could. Max thought it somewhat miraculous that they could be inconspicuous at all with Chloe carrying a crowbar...but fortunately for them, there weren't too many people out and about.

They reached their target street several minutes later; the sky above had darkened to a deep blue and they could see Alyssa sitting on a bench across the street.

"Ready to go in," Chloe said into the walkie talkie, "Doppelgangers check in, over."

"I'm going to be glad when I never have to drive this truck again," Victoria's voice said, "we're heading for the beach...um...over."

"What the hell kind of car does _she_ have?" Chloe said to Max.

"Not sure...probably expensive though," Max said.

Chloe shrugged and lifted the walkie talkie.

"Yo Warren, how's it hanging? Over," she said.

"Still following Scully and she's still following your twins, over," Warren said.

Chloe chuckled and said, "Warren, my _twins_ are right here in front of me where they always are, over."

"Shit," Warren said.

A pause.

"Over," Warren said.

Max shook her head.

"And Brooke? Over?" Chloe said.

"Mulder moved but he's even further away from you than before," Brooke said, "stopped picking...now sipping coffee or something...really slowly, over."

"Awesome...and Alyssa? Over," Chloe said.

Nothing.

"Yo, Alyssa!" Chloe said loudly into the walkie talkie.

They could see Alyssa jump across the street.

"Yeah what? Um...over," Alyssa said.

"Everything still cool? Over," Chloe said.

A pause.

"Yeah, no sign of anything weird," Alyssa said.

"Okay, go back to your book...anyone who sees anything that might fuck us up, tell us...we're going in, over," Chloe said.

A chorus of good luck messages jumbled over one another and then there was silence.

"Alright, Max, ready to bust and rewind our way into this joint?" Chloe said.

Max felt a thrill of exhilaration, the kind she hadn't felt since her and the past version of Chloe had broken into Blackwell.

"Yeah, definitely," Max said.

"Too bad there's probably no hot tub," Chloe said, "which, by the way, again: you still owe me a Blackwell pool break in."

"At this rate we should probably just break into Nathan's apartment...you have _me_ wanting to experience that hot tub," Max said.

"I'm such a good bad influence," Chloe said.

"That you are," Max said, smiling.

Chloe stepped forward and they made their way to the building, sneaking around the side and to the back, where they found a lonely door next to a pair of trashcans. They glanced around: no sign of security cameras. Other than David Madsen and the Prescotts, it seemed like few people in Arcadia Bay were big on the idea of surveillance.

"Here, let's hang out for a couple of minutes," Max said, setting her bag down by the door.

"Any particular reason?" Chloe said, putting her crowbar down next to Max's bag.

"If I can, I like to create a buffer of time that I can rewind into...that way I won't end up messing up the walkie talkie conversations we just had or something," Max said.

"Ah, got it," Chloe said.

"So, what do you think we'll find in there?" Max said.

"I'm hoping that we'll find some papers...contracts, pictures, reports...anything that shows who hired them and what they're trying to find out about us," Chloe said.

"And take pictures of anything interesting?" Max said.

"Yeah...oh, and make sure to use your phone for that," Chloe said.

Max tilted her head, frowning.

"Oh right," Chloe said, "Beta Max totally almost used her...your Polaroid camera to take pictures of Nathan's...ugh…'Master Photography'...and she was super embarrassed about it," Chloe said.

"Er...yeah, I guess I can't pretend I wouldn't've made the same mistake," Max said.

"It's okay, G, I won't tell anyone," Chloe said.

"Thanks," Max said with a lopsided smile, "and yeah, using my camera is...pretty much second nature. It's really weird to use my phone for photos."

"Such a hipster," Chloe said.

"Which you clearly have a thing for," Max said, stepping forward and nudging Chloe in the side.

"Totally true," Chloe said.

She began to lean towards Max...and they both jumped as the walkie talkie crackled and a small voice, Warren's, said, "hey, you guys in yet? Over."

Chloe grabbed it and said, "No...we're um...scouting. About to head in, over."

"That wasn't very convincing," Max said with a smile.

"Eh, if they make fun of us, we can just make out in front of them," Chloe said.

Max laughed and said, "you're so bad."

"Oh, you haven't even _seen_ how bad I can get," Chloe said with a wink, "but anyways, you have enough of a buffer?"

"I think so," Max said, "let's do this."

"Smashy smashy time," Chloe said, hefting her crowbar.

"Er, maybe we should just try the door first," Max said.

"You are _no_ fun sometimes," Chloe said, lowering the crowbar and motioning Max forward.

"I have to save up my fun for other things," Max said, stepping up to the door.

"Damn, Max, you're on _fire_ ," Chloe said.

Max grinned and tried the door; it swung open into a dimly lit hallway.

"One of these days I'll get to smash something," Chloe said, following Max inside.

"You wouldn't have remembered it anyways," Max said.

"Yeah, but it's the thought that counts," Chloe said, glancing around.

"We can go to the junkyard sometime and you can smash whatever you want," Max said.

"Been there, done that," Chloe said, "but...always up for smashing...want to help me find some beer bottles there to bust up?"

"Absolutely not," Max replied.

Chloe shrugged and peeked into a side room.

"Nice, couple of vending machines here," she said, "I can grab myself a candy bar and a drink on the way out."

"Let me guess," Max said, crossing her arms, "you'll break the window, grab what you want, hand it to me, and then have me rewind?"

"That's pretty much what I was thinking," Chloe said.

Max grinned and turned around, stepping right into a stack of plastic bins.

"Shit!" she said as the stack toppled and crashed onto the floor..

"Wow, G," Chloe said, chuckling, "you really haven't changed much. Always knocking everything over."

"Ugh, I'm just glad there's no one here," Max said.

But as she said that, a sound came from ahead and above: rapid footsteps. Max and Chloe's heads snapped around towards the noise.

"Fuck," Chloe said.

They stood frozen as the footsteps drew suddenly closer and a figure appeared from a side passage down the hall: a short thin man, his wispy hair waving in the air as he moved.

He stopped and stared.

"What?...It's _you_ ," he said.

His hand dove into a pocket in his jacket. Max gasped and grabbed Chloe's arm, starting to rewind before the man could retrieve whatever was in his pocket.

_Shit...what if that was a gun?_ Max thought as she rewound, watching the man move backwards and disappear into a doorway, _and how did we completely miss that there's another person here?_ The plastic bins scattered on the floor drifted back into a tall stack. _Was Alyssa so engrossed in her book that she didn't see that guy? What if..._

Max's thoughts were broken off as she felt something move in her left hand. She glanced over, realizing that she was still holding onto Chloe's arm...and her eyes widened in shock: Chloe stared back at her, her own eyes wide and her mouth open...and she _wasn't_ moving backwards. Max's mouth dropped open and she immediately stopped rewinding.

Time returned to its normal pace and Max released Chloe's arm. Chloe looked around, gazing down the hall to where the man had been and then to the stack of plastic boxes. Her eyes grew wider still and she turned back to Max.

"Max?" she said, her voice high pitched, "what the fuck just happened?"

"I...I'm not sure...I grabbed your arm before rewinding and then...what do you remember?" Max said, reaching over and grabbing Chloe's arm again.

"There was that guy...he was over there. He reached into his pocket. You grabbed my arm. And then...everything was going backward. I...I felt like I could barely breathe. I...holy shit, Max...did I just go back in time with you?" Chloe said.

Max's stared up at Chloe's astonished expression, her mind whirling.

_How is that possible? It...it_ has _to be true...I wasn't imagining it: Chloe really_ was _there...I definitely saw her rewinding with me. But...how? Is it because I grabbed her?_ Her brow furrowed, _have I ever been touching someone when rewinding before? Has someone ever been touching_ me _?_ She thought back to the missing week...but nothing came to mind.

"We...somehow rewound together," Max said, "I had no idea that was even possible."

"Dude, I am so...fucking... _tripping_ over this," Chloe said, her hands on her head, "that was...hella crazy. That's what you do? _That's_ what it looks like? What it _feels_ like?"

"Yeah, yeah it is...I...wow, maybe this has something to do with how I can do the teleport thing in front of you?" Max said, leaning back against the wall and scratching her head.

"Shit, I have no idea but _fuck_ , Max," Chloe said, "how do you not freak out every time you do that? It's so fucking cool. I mean, I've known for days that you could do it...but...that is fucking _amazeballs_."

"Chloe," Max said, stepping over and putting her hands on Chloe's shoulders, "this _is_ amazeballs. It means...wowser...if this wasn't a one-time thing, it means that we can _both_ rewind...together. That's huge...way bigger than the whole teleporting thing."

"Dude, wouldn't that...wouldn't that mean I can teleport too?" Chloe said, her eyes wide.

"I don't know...I think so?" Max said.

"Can we...try it again?" Chloe said, speaking almost in a whisper.

"Yeah, I think we'll have to," Max said, "we still have a job to do and we'll need to go back a bit to prepare."

"Right right," Chloe said, "mission...yeah...um...what the hell do we do about our unexpected friend?"

"We need to find out where he came from and see if we can get the jump on him," Max said.

"Okay...let's do it," Chloe said.

Max held her hand out to Chloe. Chloe took it and tensed, squeezing her eyes shut and then opening one eye.

Max chuckled and said, "you can keep your eyes open."

"Dude, I'm totally new to this," Chloe said, her voice wavering.

"Ready?" Max said.

"Yeah...I think," Chloe said.

_Please let this be more than a one-time thing_ , Max thought. The idea of sharing this...of actually _sharing_ it with Chloe? Max desperately wanted it to be true.

She kept her eyes on Chloe and started to rewind. The hallway around them became fuzzy and she watched as ghostly versions of herself and Chloe moved about...but the solid version of Chloe stayed with her, their hands firmly clamped together. Chloe glanced around as Max continued to rewind, her mouth hanging open.

Max stopped shortly after they'd entered the building.

"Wowser," Chloe said softly.

_I don't believe it_ , Max thought, _this is crazy...Chloe can actually come with me!_

Max grinned and said, "welcome to time travel, Chloe."

"I don't even know what to say," Chloe said.

"Well, you used to bow down to my powers and declare your allegiance or whatever," Max said.

"Dude, I'm your girlfriend now," Chloe said, "all of that's built in."

"Oh, and that means I'm supposed to bow down and declare allegiance to you too?" Max said.

"Yep," Chloe said, still glancing around as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

"Oh well, I'll take sharing all of this with you over being the dominant one any day," Max said.

"You are disgustingly sweet," Chloe said.

"I hope our friend upstairs thinks so too," Max said, starting down the hall.

"Wait," Chloe said, "I should go...so if something happens, you can rewind. Like we talked about before."

Max paused.

"You're right," Max finally said, frowning.

Chloe nodded and walked down the hall, finding the spot where the man had emerged. She gave Max a thumbs-up and walked through. Max fidgeted with the strap of her bag, straining her ears to hear anything from the rest of the building...and heard nothing but the hum of the vending machines.

After only a minute or so, loud footsteps suddenly echoed from above and she could hear distant shouting. She braced herself, half expecting the sound of a gunshot...but the footsteps, running, continued to come closer. Moments later, Chloe burst from the passage and ran over to Max.

"Quick, let's rewind," Chloe said, breathing heavily.

Max grabbed Chloe's hand and rewound, watching Chloe's awed expression with amusement as time sped backwards around them. Max stopped where she had before.

"Okay," she said, "what's the story?"

"Our buddy...fuck, hold on...wow...totally tripping again...I swear I'm never going to get used to that...un-fucking-believable...okay...our new buddy...he's staying in a little dark room off of a larger office," Chloe said, "his back was to the door and he had headphones on so I think we can sneak up on him."

"But wait...you ran away and I heard shouting...how did he see you?" Max said.

"Ah...well...I kinda pulled a Max," Chloe said, grimacing, "I knocked over an empty file cabinet."

"Pulling a Max?" Max said, eyebrow raised.

"Sorry," Chloe said.

"No...it's accurate," Max said, "let's...just keep it between us."

Chloe smiled and nodded.

"Um...did you find out what he had in his jacket?" Max said, "what he was reaching for earlier?"

"Yeah: walkie talkie or phone or something," Chloe said, "probably to call Scully and Mulder back."

Max nodded and said, "so how do we...um...neutralize this guy?"

"Huh...at first I thought that we could just lock him in," Chloe said, "but then I realized that he'd be really annoying...yelling at us, calling Scully and Mulder...all of that shit."

"I'm guessing you have a different plan?" Max said.

Chloe grinned and pointed at Max's bag. Max opened it up and Chloe pulled out the duct tape.

"Are you cereal?" Max said.

"Oh yes," Chloe said, stretching a piece of the tape out, "we catch him by surprise, get one of these over his mouth and then I can hold him while you get his arms, legs, and torso attached to the chair. It'll be awesome."

"I don't know," Max said, rubbing her wrist.

Chloe looked at Max's hands and took hold of them, quickly but gently.

"Max, it's _you_ with the duct tape this time...and you've got _me_ here," Chloe said, " _we're_ in control...and if you start feeling like shit, just rewind."

Max nodded.

"And," Chloe continued, "if you're worried about the guy, he won't remember a thing. And...well, we're not planning on killing him. That's a plus."

"Yeah, you're right," Max said, "I'm sorry."

"Don't you dare apologize," Chloe said, squeezing Max's hands, "remember, any time this shit hits you or you even _think_ about it, tell me. I'm here to help."

"Thanks, Chloe," Max said, looking up and taking a deep breath, "now...give me some tape."

"That's it," Chloe said, smiling, "let's go wrap this guy up."

They each grabbed several pieces of duct tape and rewound to give themselves extra time. Chloe then led the way down the hall and through an opening that led to stairs. They crept up slowly, the smell of a musty old office growing as they went. They emerged into another hall with doors and large windows into an office area. Chloe pointed to a door, slightly ajar, at the far end. They moved slowly, hunched over, to the end of the hall.

They stopped for a quick rewind, hand in hand, before taking places on either side of the door. Chloe nodded and Max, her heart pounding, lifted up her first piece of tape.

_Okay, Max_ , she thought, _just get the tape on him...wrists, ankles, chest. Just get it done quickly...if we mess up, we just rewind_.

Chloe gave the thumbs up and moved, pushing the door open and crossing the room in moments to the man lazily slouched in an office chair, his eyes glued to the computer screen in front of him.

Chloe held a piece of tape between her hands and swung her arms in front of the man's face, shouting, "surprise, motherfucker!"

She slapped the tape onto his face as his hands flew upwards. Max went to the right to get to the man's arm...but Chloe also dove to the right. They collided and toppled to the floor, both crying out. The man twisted to the side and he and the chair both fell to the left. He reached up and tore the tape away from his face, shrieking something incomprehensible and reaching for his walkie talkie.

"Shit!" Chloe shouted, scrambling towards him.

"I'm resetting this!" Max said, jumping up and running out the door. She ran back over to the stairs and started rewinding. She watched as the ghostly images of her and Chloe crept back across the office space and over to the stairs. She stopped rewinding once they overlapped with her. Chloe jumped.

"Shit," she hissed, "did you just rewind?"

She paused.

"Without me?" she continued.

"Sorry," Max whispered, "but we sort of messed up. Listen, after you get the tape over his mouth, you head for his left hand, I'll head for his right hand."

"Fuck, did we have an epic crash?" Chloe whispered.

"Yeah, and it would've been funny as hell if the guy didn't start shrieking," Max said.

"He _shrieked_?" Chloe said, grinning.

"Yeah, I'll imitate it for you later," Max said, "come on."

They continued up as before, creeping to the door. Chloe nodded when ready and Max followed closely behind.

"Surprise, motherfucker!" Chloe shouted, slapping the tape onto the man's mouth. She immediately dove to the left, snatching another piece of tape from her arm as Max reached the man's right arm.

"Sorry," Max said, as she slammed the tape onto the man's wrist and around the arm of the chair. She quickly followed up with a second piece of tape and looked over. The man's eyes were wide and darting back and forth between Max and Chloe. He was trying to shout something from behind the tape.

"Sorry, dude," Chloe said, wrapping a long piece of tape around the man's legs, "can't hear you...you need to speak a little clearer."

Max rolled her eyes and grabbed the roll of tape, pulling it around the man's chest and attaching him securely to the chair.

"Well," Max said, "that worked surprisingly well."

"Of course," Chloe said, "it was a Chloe Price plan."

"With a do-over," Max said.

"Ah yes, your talent really does take some of the planning pressure off of me," Chloe said, stretching her arms up.

The man continued to glare at them; he'd stopped trying to yell.

"Dude, don't worry, we aren't going to do anything to you," Chloe said, "we're just here to figure out why you douchebags are following us around."

"You think we should ask him about it?" Max said.

"Eh, after we've gone through other stuff," Chloe said, "speaking of which…"

She moved over to the man's computer.

"Jackpot!" Chloe said, "unlocked; I bet he's got files and emails and everything accessible from here."

Max glanced at the man, whose eyes were wide again. The idea of Max and Chloe getting into their files was clearly not pleasant to him.

_Ha, tough_ , Max thought, _you guys might be professional investigators...but you're up against some damn good amateur snoopers...backed up with superpowers, of course_.

"Hey, Max," Chloe said, "why don't you look around the office while I download their emails and...oh wait...will that...work? You know, _keeping_ the files?" Chloe raised an eyebrow at Max. The man looked at Chloe and then up at Max, his eyebrow also raised.

"Yeah, as long as it's with me or in my bag...or I guess with you, too," Max said, smiling at the man's confused expression.

"Awesomesauce," Chloe said, turning back to the computer, "time to feed my flash drive."

"I'll come back here after I check out the office," Max said, "shout if you need anything or if our new buddy here," she patted the man's shoulder, "causes any trouble."

"Will do, Bat Max," Chloe said.

Max left the room and surveyed the office outside.

The space was large, filled with old desks, worn chairs, and tall file cabinets. Almost everything was empty, with drawers pulled out and thick dust on nearly every surface. It looked like the PIs had appropriated three desks and a pair of file cabinets near the back of the room, close to the side room where the extra PI had been lurking. Two of the desks had closed laptops on them and a handful of file folders were scattered over all three desks.

She moved to the first desk and clicked on a lamp, illuminating the three desks and throwing the rest of the large space into shadow. She opened the laptop on the desk; a login screen appeared.

_Oh well_ , Max thought, _I doubt it has anything too different from the one Chloe's digging through_.

For good measure, Max stepped over to the other laptop; it was also locked.

Max then opened up the nearest folder, finding a stack of photos, all of her and/or Chloe. Max flipped through the photos, shaking her head.

_Composition is terrible, lighting is all wrong, and it seems that they've never heard of the rule of thirds_ , Max thought, smiling slightly, _I know it's too much to expect these guys to produce_ excellent _photography...but this is just_ bad _. Some of these aren't even in focus!_

The stack included images of Max and Chloe entering and leaving various locations, including the Two Whales, Max's Blackwell dorm building, and Chloe's house. There were pictures of them walking past the Blackwell fountain and sitting in Chloe's truck. There were images of Chloe walking into various stores around town and even one of Max in class.

_How the fuck did they get_ that _one?_ Max thought, _it_ has _to be illegal to photograph students in school. I'd better get some pictures of these photos_.

Max began taking pictures with her phone. The PIs had taken many similar shots so Max only captured a few. And to Max, none of them...not a single one, rated very high on photographic merit.

Max moved to the next folder: more photos, this time of places. It took only a moment to realize that the photos were of places that Max and Chloe frequented. Various shots of Blackwell, both inside the buildings and out, of Chloe's house, and of the Two Whales. Max's eyes widened as she reached a photo of their pirate fort. She reached the next photo and paused.

She thought, _what the hell?_

The photo showed the bench up at the lighthouse, followed by a few shots of the area around the lighthouse. Then several shots of the beach...and of Frank's RV. Max continued flipping through: the photos also included the junkyard, the train tracks, and the cemetery. She reached the end; no more.

_What the serious fuck? These are all photos of places where I've been over the past ten days_ , Max thought...and then a chill ran down her spine, _and some of these are places that I_ haven't _visited in this timeline. And...they're all places where I used my powers. And wait_ , she flipped through them again, _actually these are_ all _of the places where I've used my powers. What the hell is going on?_

Max quickly snapped pictures of several of the photos, shivering again when she saw a photo of the shack near the train track switch where Chloe had nearly died...several times. She then closed the folder and moved on to the next one: it had copies of Max and Chloe's Blackwell files. The next folder had copies of several other students' Blackwell files, including Kate, Victoria, and Warren...if Max had to guess, it looked like they had files on nearly everyone she'd talked to or had a class with at Blackwell. She moved to the next folder: this one had employee files for several Blackwell teachers, including Ms. Grant, Mr. Lee, and...Mark Jefferson. Max quickly flipped past that one to find David Madsen's profile. She couldn't help but look closely at it...the file praised David for his integrity and work ethic but showed concern over his frequent confrontations with students and his demands for surveillance.

_Fair_ , Max thought, _although it's a little out of date now_.

She moved on to the last folder, which had notes about Max's parents, notes about Joyce, including recent photos, and a copy of the police report from the accident that killed Chloe's father.

Max shook her head as she closed the folder.

_This is insane_ , she thought, _why so much detail on everyone we're connected with? And what the hell is with the photos of the places where I've used my powers? Could it be a coincidence?_

She put it out of her mind briefly as she captured images of several files.

She put her phone down and, realizing she'd been looking through files for a while, rewound back to just after she'd turned on the light.

Max skipped the now-unopened files and went through the desk drawers instead, finding nothing but pens and other office supplies. In one drawer, she found a stack of business cards for what she assumed was the PI company: Seaside PIs. She pocketed one. Then, in a bottom drawer, Max found an old camera of the same model as her own Polaroid camera. A pair of handwritten notes were attached to it by a string:

> _Subject A uses this camera. Is there anything special or unique about it or its type? Does Subject A use the camera in any special or unique circumstances?_

> **Evidence suggests Subject A uses this camera type for artistic purposes only; no indication of any other uses. Subject A has a second camera of the type, not the same model. Interviews with subject matter experts reveal no special connections or properties of these models alone or between the two. Subject A uses this camera or the alternate for all of her image capturing; no signs that they are used in any unusual way.**

_How fucking weird is this going to get?_ Max thought.

She stood up from the desks and glanced around. She walked over to the nearest file cabinet and carefully examined it. Dust coated every surface, including the handles. She moved to a file cabinet near one of the other main desks: this one had no dust on the handles.

She opened the top file drawer and found about a dozen hanging folders. A quick examination revealed that these had nothing to do with Max and Chloe. As far as Max could tell, they represented other active investigations for this particular PI group, ranging from tracking a husband suspected of infidelity in Tillamook to an insurance fraud examination in Seaside.

Another careful examination of the office revealed no further files, folders, or containers so Max returned to the side room, glancing back one more time at the folder that contained the place photos. Max shuddered and entered the room to find Chloe still kneeling in front of the computer, dragging files to her flash drive. The man, still securely duct taped to the chair, gazed over as Max entered.

"Hey, Chloe," Max said, "um...do you want a chair?"

"No I'm fine. Holy shit, this was totally a jackpot," Chloe said without turning around, "we got _everything_ here. There's one thing I don't understand though."

"What's that?" Max said, itching to tell Chloe about the images she'd found.

"So, Sean Prescott's the one who hired them. I know, big surprise," Chloe said, "most of the instructions were pretty simple. He…" Chloe turned around and her eyes went wide upon seeing Max, "dude, you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Not exactly," Max said, "but I'm really creeped out by some pictures that I found."

"Er, that may have something to do with the thing _I'm_ weirded out by," Chloe said, her brow furrowed, "what are the pictures of?"

"They're all of places where...um…," Max said, glancing over at the man, whose eyes were darting back and forth between Max and Chloe, "where I've done my special thing."

Chloe's eyes widened and she said, "shit...well, here's the thing: Prescott's instructions to these guys look pretty basic. Follow us around, report on what places we go, take pictures, and be ready to provide immediate information on our whereabouts. And, weirdly enough, to come up with _predictions_ for where we might go and to inform him immediately if we approach his house or a couple of other random-ass spots. Oh, and they're only supposed to do this within and around Arcadia Bay...so at least we don't have to worry about these guys following us to Portland."

"Okay…," Max said.

"But here's the weird thing," Chloe said, "he gave them something. It's not _described_ in these emails but there was a lot of back and forth about it because these guys," she gestured at the man, "were confused. It was separate from the instructions to follow us and he told them to take this...thing all over town. It apparently spins or some shit...and when it starts spinning, they're supposed to go in whatever direction makes it spin faster until it stops spinning and then they're supposed to take pictures of the area and mark it on a map."

"That does not give me warm and fuzzy feelings" Max said.

"No kidding," Chloe said, "and I hate to ask but...those pictures of places...were there any pictures of spots where you _didn't_ do your thing?"

Max shook her head.

"Well, sounds like it's something that can point to where you've been...having adventures," Chloe said with a frown.

"I guess that solves the creepster mystery then," Max said, "must have been one of them creeping around."

"Er...actually that's another piece of bad news," Chloe said, "Prescott gave these guys the last couple of nights off."

Max felt another chill run up her spine.

"You mean…?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, he specifically told them to clear out after dark on those two nights, which means that it wasn't one of _them_ outside your door, at our date, _or_ outside my house," Chloe said.

"So the creepster is still at large," Max said quietly, "and there's even more reason to think that it might actually be Sean Prescott himself."

"Yup," Chloe said, "or yet another person hired to stalk us."

"Shit," Max said, "well, at least I get that weird chill whenever the creepster is close by...gives us _some_ warning."

"I'll take whatever advantages we can get," Chloe said, "and speaking of, did you find any spinny thing while snooping out there?"

"No. Did you find anything like that in here?" Max said.

"Nope. I checked the desk drawers here but just pencils and shit. Oh, and gum...I took the gum," Chloe said.

Despite her nervousness, a smile twitched on Max's face.

"Well, I know one way to get more information," Chloe said, looking over at the man.

His eyes went wide.

Chloe strode over and ripped the duct tape off of the man's mouth. He yelped loudly.

"Alright, talk," Chloe said, "what the fuck's going on and why are you following us?"

"It's...it's just like you said," he said, his voice quiet, "it's just a job...a...a really weird job. But...it's...it's pretty standard...follow and report, you know? More detailed than usual but...but he's paying _a lot_. We only have five people in the company and three of us are here. That's how much we're getting for this."

"Not to sound harsh," Max said, "but why didn't Prescott hire some big Portland company or something," she held up their business card, "you guys are a small Oregon coast operation."

"I think...I think that was the point," the man said, swallowing, "he didn't want attention...didn't want a big deal...didn't want people to talk."

"And what about this spinning thing?" Chloe said.

"That...I don't know what it was," the man said.

"Describe it," Chloe said, leaning closer to him.

"It...it kind of looked like a compass," he said, "a bit of wood with strange symbols carved into it and a little spinning needle in the center. It looked really old but it worked just like he said...at places all over town it would start spinning and then once you reached a particular spot, it would stop spinning and we'd take pictures, just like he said to."

"Did it have a name?" Max asked.

"Maybe...I don't know," the man said, "Prescott just called it 'the artifact' and left it at that."

"And where is it now?" Chloe asked.

"He took it back," the man said.

"What if I said I don't believe you," Chloe said, leaning in closer.

"Honestly, it's true," the man said, "look...please, don't hurt me. I had no idea that this would get so weird. I don't know what's going on here."

Chloe crossed her arms and stared down at the man.

"Please…," he said, "Jess met with Prescott earlier today and gave it back. And...we're glad to be rid of it. It creeped us all out and Prescott was clear that if we lost it, we wouldn't get a cent. He even threatened to destroy our business. I swear, we don't have it anymore."

"Okay fine, I believe you," Chloe said.

Max tapped Chloe on the shoulder and tilted her head towards the far side of the room. They both stepped away from the man.

"If that spinning thing really does track where I've used my powers, it could mean that Sean Prescott _knows_ about my powers," Max said, her voice strained.

"Yeah, maybe," Chloe said, "but then why all this wacky shit? Maybe he doesn't even know what the spinny thing _does_. Maybe he's trying to use these guys to figure it out."

"The same people he's using to keep track of _us_? Doesn't that seem like he thinks...or knows...that there's a connection?" Max said.

"Yeah, this is disturbing as hell...but if Prescott really knew something, he'd be more direct, right?" Chloe said.

"I don't know," Max said.

"Seriously though, I think maybe he suspects something but he'll never be able to figure it out...he can't _see_ you rewind time, Max," Chloe said, "besides, he's probably just trying to kill two birds with one stone here. He already has these goofballs wandering all over town, why not have them play with his funky compass too? Maybe he thinks it marks buried treasure or some shit."

Max' shoulders relaxed and she said, "yeah, maybe you're right...I just...it's very clear that the Prescotts know way more than they let on."

"But if they knew more than we did, we'd already be locked in a bunker or buried six feet under, right?" Chloe said.

Max shrugged, "I suppose you're right."

They turned back towards the center of the room and another thought struck Max.

"Chloe," she said, "did you happen to notice _when_ Prescott hired them?"

Chloe opened her mouth but the man spoke first, "we got the call on Tuesday morning and we were here by Tuesday night."

Max raised her eyebrows and said, "uh...thanks."

The man shrugged as much as he could.

"Yeah," Chloe said, "Tuesday...wait…"

Max's eyes widened, "shit, that was right after you and Beta Max…"

"Yeah," Chloe said, "but if he had evidence that it was _us_ …"

"Then there'd be no need for PIs," Max said, "I do wonder if it's related though."

"Ugh, this whole thing is confusing as hell," Chloe said, "not sure we're going to get any further here...let me grab the flashdrive."

"Are...are you just going to leave me here like this?" the man said.

"Yeah, pretty much," Chloe said.

The man sighed and said, "this has been the weirdest fucking job. And I'm _never_ gonna live this down."

"Don't worry about it," Max said, "everything will be fine."

He looked up at her quizzically.

"Alright, got it," Chloe said, standing up and clutching the flash drive triumphantly, "did you get pics of everything?"

"Yep," Max said, tapping the pocket with her phone.

"Awesomesauce, let's blow this joint," Chloe said.

"Bye...and thanks," Max said to the man, walking out.

"Yeah, peace out," Chloe said, raising both middle fingers and following Max out.

The man groaned and mumbled something about retirement.


	11. Exfiltration

Max and Chloe descended to the ground floor and made their way towards the back door.

"Ooh, candy bar?" Chloe asked as they reached the vending machines.

"Um...sure, why not?" Max said.

"Awesome; smashy time," Chloe said, grabbing the crowbar she'd left by the door. She grinned and swung it. With a loud crash, the vending machine window shattered.

"That is so fuckin' sweet," Chloe said, "want to rewind and try it?" She held out the crowbar.

"Nah, I'm okay," Max said.

"Suit yourself," Chloe said, stepping forward, "what you want?"

"Um...peanut M&Ms, please," Max said.

"Dude, regular M&Ms are totally better," Chloe said, reaching in and grabbing a couple of bags of peanut M&Ms and a pair of Snickers bars.

Max rolled her eyes and said, "I will pretend you didn't say that."

Chloe opened her mouth and Max quickly continued, "and I will tickle you if you say it again."

Chloe's mouth snapped shut and Max grinned.

"Okay, let's get out of here," Max said, her smile turning into a grimace, "this is going to be a hell of a long rewind."

They stepped outside, turned around to face the door, and held hands. Max rewound. She kept going and going, waiting for the moment when a ghostly image of Chloe would appear outside. Pressure built in her head...and then a sharp, lancing pain. Max hadn't felt this kind of pain from rewinding since the erased week...but she clenched her teeth and kept going. When she nearly felt like she could go no further, she saw the door open in front of them and she stopped.

The evening was cool and quiet around them, the door in front of them was shut and, presumably, the man inside sat quietly at his desk, completely unaware that he'd been tied up and interrogated.

Max let go of Chloe's hand, her own hand sweaty, and fell to her knees clutching her head.

Chloe immediately dropped down next to her.

"Max! You okay?" Chloe said.

"Yeah...yeah I'm fine," Max said, wincing, "I just need a minute...I really should've thought about this beforehand...that was a  _ long  _ rewind."

She felt something on her lip and raised her hand; her nose was bleeding profusely.

She sighed and said, "Chloe, could you give me some tissues?"

Chloe was already reaching into the bag and handed over a wad of tissues. Max pressed them against her nose and sat down.

"Shit, I'm really sorry, Max," Chloe said, "I shouldn't have gotten that damn candy."

"I don't know if that would've made much of a difference...besides, it's my fault...I should've been keeping track of time and having us rewind more," Max said, "speaking of which, how do  _ you  _ feel?" She gazed up at Chloe, searching Chloe's face and eyes.

"I...um...I guess I have a tiny headache," Chloe said, "kind of like a dull ache right here." She pointed to her forehead, "but that might be because I haven't smoked in a while."

"That's good...I'm glad you don't get  _ these  _ issues," Max said, rotating the tissue under her nose.

"We can sit here for as long as you want," Chloe said, leaning back, "the others all think we're inside right now."

"Oh right, what do you think we should tell them?" Max said.

"I don't know...do we even mention the guy in there?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, probably...I'm thinking that we tell them that we distracted him or tricked him somehow," Max said.

"Ooh yeah, something badass," Chloe said.

They sat for a moment, thinking.

"Think of anything that makes sense?" Max said after a minute.

"No, not really...my brain pretty quickly switched over to daydreaming," Chloe said, "I was thinking about us as, like, movie spies. I was rocking a badass set of gadgets and you were in a skin-tight suit...and we had to hide in a tiny closet, pressed up against one another, and…"

Max punched Chloe's arm.

"Okay fine," Chloe said, "but I think it's an awesome idea for the future."

"What, spying?" Max said.

"Er, I was thinking the skin-tight suit...but sure," Chloe said.

Max chuckled and said, "putting  _ that  _ aside for a moment,  _ I _ don't have any ideas either...maybe we should just say that he was asleep."

"Totally lame...but probably the best idea," Chloe said, "what about us getting onto the computer?"

"Um...oh, how about this: he woke up and we managed to hide while he stepped out to go to the bathroom...and that's when we got to the computer," Max said.

"Nice, that's perfect," Chloe said.

"Okay, we've got our story," Max said, "now what about what we actually found?"

"I guess it's not too surprising," Chloe said, "Sean Prescott is having us followed around. We just don't know why."

"And the spinny thing?" Max said, "um...maybe we shouldn't mention that to the others."

"Yeah, agreed," Chloe said.

Max shook her head and said, "with all of the information he's after, it seems like Prescott  _ is _ planning something. Especially since he wants to know where we are at a moment's notice."

"Yeah, that dude's definitely up to something," Chloe said, "but hey...maybe he's just being extra paranoid...or maybe he's got some inkling that we broke into his house. Dude, maybe he thinks we'll do it again! Maybe that's what this is about: he's trying to stop us or set a trap."

"That  _ does  _ make sense," Max said.

She removed the tissue from her nose; her nosebleed had stopped and her headache was fading.

"How you feeling?" Chloe said.

"Much better," Max said, scooting closer to Chloe, "what do you think? Five minutes or so before we can realistically leave?"

"Yeah, that seems right," Chloe said.

Max leaned over, resting her head on Chloe's shoulder. Chloe dropped her head to rest on Max's. They sat quietly, listening to crickets chirp around them. The five minutes seemed to tick by very slowly. Max found herself completely zoned out and didn't budge until Chloe shifted slightly, causing Max to break out of her stupor and check her phone.

"What do you think?" Max said, showing Chloe the time.

"I think I want to just sit here with you all night," Chloe said.

"That's so sweet...but somehow I doubt you'd want to just sit," Max said, smiling.

"Oh, that's totally true," Chloe said, a glint in her eyes.

"Me too," Max said with a wink, making Chloe laugh.

They stood up and Chloe dug through the bag for the walkie talkie.

_Wow_ , Max thought, staring at Chloe, _I...wasn't really kidding there. I think I really do_ _want to take this thing further...and soon...I kind of feel like a shook-up can of pop_.

Chloe found the walkie talkie and turned to Max, starting to bring the walkie talkie to her mouth but stopping and raising an eyebrow.

"What's up?" Chloe said. Max realized that she must've been showing her thoughts on her face and blushed.

"Nothing," she said.

Chloe crossed her arms and smiled, saying, "something's going on in your head."

"I'll tell you later," Max said.

Chloe shook her head and raised the walkie talkie, saying, "yo, ladies and Warren, your badass peeps got the info."

She grinned at Max and Max said, "over."

"Goddammit," Chloe said before pressing the button and saying, "over."

A chorus of jumbled responses came in.

"Whoa, one at a time," Chloe said, "let's start with faux Chloe, over."

"Actually it's faux Max with the walkie talkie," came Kate's voice, "faux Chloe is driving and she's not familiar with this road...um...over."

"Where are you guys? Over," Chloe said.

"I don't know," Kate said. There was a moment of faint conversation and Kate returned, "Victoria says that we're on the road up near Bayley Point. We passed by the old lumber mill a minute ago. Victoria says she's pretending that we're heading that way and then she's going to turn around as if we got a call or something...over."

"Awesome, good timing," Chloe said, "head back to the music store; we're heading there now. So, quick checks from everyone else: Warren, how we doing? Over."

"Good. Scully's still following Kate and Victoria, over," Warren said.

"Brooke: go, over," Chloe said.

"Mulder's still hanging out," she said, "he's been taking a nap for the past five minutes, over."

"And Alyssa, over," Chloe said.

"I have good news and bad news," came Alyssa's voice, "the good news is that I didn't see anything happen in the building. The bad news is that some guy showed up about a minute ago at the end of the road and is just standing there. Totally creeping me out...over."

Max and Chloe looked at each other; there was silence over the walkie talkies.

"Umm...guys?" came Alyssa's voice, "if he starts walking towards me, I  _ will _ call the cops and run away...over."

Max held her hand out and Chloe gave her the walkie talkie.

"Hey Alyssa, this is Max. That might be the creepster. Go ahead and go to wherever you feel safe to get picked up by Warren. We'll all meet back at Blackwell. Over."

She handed the walkie talkie back to Chloe.

"Okay, I'm retreating...over," Alyssa said.

"Warren, can you pick up Brooke and Alyssa? We'll meet you guys back at Blackwell...over," Chloe said.

A chorus of affirmatives came from the walkie talkie and Chloe clipped the walkie talkie to her pants, turning to Max and saying, "alright, let's get the fuck out of here...and let's take the back way."

They quietly snuck behind a few more buildings and then out to the street. Sure enough, as Alyssa said, a lone figure stood at the corner of the distant end of the block.

"Is it the creepster?" Chloe whispered.

"I don't know," Max said, squinting.

"Feel the weird chills?" Chloe said.

"No...but we're probably too far away," Max said.

"I don't feel like getting closer to find out," Chloe said.

"Me neither," Max said.

They crossed the street. As they reached the other side, Max glanced back to see the figure turn and walk the other way.

**. . . . .**

A few minutes later, they'd made it back to the music store. As they stepped inside, Chloe took off her blonde wig.

"Accomplish your mission?" Matt said.

"Yep, turns out Lord of All Douchebags Prescott is having us followed," Chloe said.

"Damn, that fucker's all kinds of messed up," Matt said, shaking his head, "glad you found out and, by the way, you and your girlfriend are pretty badass."

"Thanks," Max and Chloe both said.

After they reached the back room, the walkie talkie crackled and Kate's voice said, "we're coming up to the store, over."

"Awesome," Chloe responded, "we're already here...over."

"You know," Max said, "I just realized that we probably could've used our phones to communicate...a group text or something."

"That's...a good point," Chloe said, "but seriously, you have to admit that these walkie talkies made this whole thing  _ legit  _ as fuck."

"I concede to your point but...no one would have had to say 'over' if we did it by text," Max said.

"Ha, true...fuck, can you imagine if you had to type 'over' after every text?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, it would be fucking awful," Max said.

A few moments later, Victoria and Kate walked in.

"You succeeded?" Victoria said.

"Hell yeah," Chloe said.

"Good," Victoria said, pulling off her blue wig, "Sean Prescott?"

"Yeah," Max said.

"What a fucking asshole," Victoria said, starting to pull off her pants. Kate turned around.

"I'm hurt that you want to get out of my clothes so quickly," Chloe said.

"I like mine better," Victoria said, "and I figured you and Max wouldn't mind if I stripped." She smirked.

Max rolled her eyes and turned around. Chloe also turned and pulled off her shirt.

"Why are you changing?" Max said.

"We really should here leave with  _ those  _ clothes," Chloe said, gesturing over her shoulder.

"Oh, right," Max said, pulling off her shirt.

A moment later she felt a soft tap on her shoulder and Kate said, "here you go, Max." The shirt, pants, and hoodie that Max had provided appeared over her shoulder, neatly folded.

"Thanks, Kate," Max said, "I hope you had fun."

Max started putting on her normal clothes and Kate said, "yeah, it was actually pretty nice," she dropped her voice, "and I think I've made good progress on getting Victoria to be nicer."

"Nice job," Max whispered, "and by the way, Chloe gave it a name: Operation Gooey Center."

"Huh? Oh, I get it," Kate whispered, grinning, "that's really clever."

Max smiled back at her and finished dressing.

"Okay," Chloe said, pulling her beanie onto her head, "Max and I will leave first to draw Scully away and then you two can leave whenever she disappears."

"Great," Victoria said.

"Ooh, while we wait, you could show me the bands you were talking about up at the lighthouse," Kate said, tugging Victoria's arm.

"I...sure, yeah," Victoria said.

They disappeared out into the store.

Chloe chuckled and said, "methinks the ice queen will be shattered soon."

"Yeah," Max said, "despite the fact that she seems to have an infinite supply of snark, I'd say she's a few days from cracking."

They stepped out of the back room and walked to the front door, waving at Victoria and Kate and then at Matt. Soon they were in the truck and rolling back to Blackwell, Scully trailing behind them. Chloe parked in the student lot and they made their way to the dorm, hand in hand.

As they entered the building, the walkie talkie on Chloe's belt crackled and Chloe jumped.

Warren's voice said, "hey, you guys back yet? We're wondering when we should come up to Max's room, over."

"Shit, I forgot that was still on," Chloe said before lifting the walkie talkie.

She pressed the button and said, "we just got here so head on up, over."

They had just enough time to drop their bags on the floor in Max's room when a knock sounded and Warren, Brooke, and Alyssa rushed in.

"So?" Warren said, "what did you get?"

"Let's wait for Vicky and Kate so we don't have to tell it twice," Chloe said.

Brooke chuckled and said, "did you just call her Vicky?"

Chloe grinned and Max said, "yeah, she did...and please, no one call her that to her face."

Alyssa rolled her eyes.

"So how did all of  _ you _ do tonight?" Max said.

The trio looked at one another and Brooke spoke first.

"Pretty chill," she said, "and it was excellent practice for flying my drone; especially with all of the precision landing required. It's not easy and I did it  _ nine  _ times."

Warren gave her a high five.

"This was  _ awesome  _ for me," Warren said, "I totally felt like I was in a spy movie. Mission: Impossible or something. I kept on having to find new ways of following Scully without her realizing it...parking in different spots, changing how close I followed. I even took a gamble a few times and went on a different road. Although it helped that I had Kate guiding me."

"Wait, how was Kate guiding you?" Max said.

"Oh, she called me and told me where her and Victoria were going," Warren said, glancing at Chloe, "we figured that using the walkie talkies for that would mess up other peoples' stuff."

"Yeah, Sensible Max here pointed out that we could've just texted," Chloe said, "but I still think the walkie talkies made it more badass."

"Totally agree," Warren said.

"What about you, Alyssa?" Max said.

Alyssa shrugged and said, "got some good reading in...it was nice and relaxing...up until I noticed the creepy guy."

Max opened her mouth to respond but a small knock sounded at the door, followed by Victoria's voice, "oh just open it."

The door swung open and Kate and Victoria walked in.

"Alright," Victoria said, "what did you find?"

Max gestured for Victoria and Kate to take seats and the group settled around the room: Brooke, Warren, and Alyssa sat on the couch, Chloe took Max's desk chair, Max sat next to Kate on the bed, and Victoria closed the door and leaned against it.

Max and Chloe told their story as planned, saying that they snuck through the back to find the third PI napping in the side room. Alyssa was briefly mortified that she hadn't noticed him...but Max and Chloe assured her that since the PI offices were in the back, she had no way of knowing. They said that they rummaged around the desks, snapping pictures, and then nearly got caught when the man woke up. Max hid a smile as Kate cupped a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide.

_ Apparently Chloe and I are pretty good storytellers _ , Max thought, taking in Chloe's dramatic hand gestures,  _ okay...maybe it's just Chloe _ .

They continued their fabricated tale by saying that they waited until the man left to use a bathroom downstairs before rushing in to copy files over from his computer. They said he came back upstairs after grabbing something from the vending machines, allowing them to sneak out.

The group was suitably impressed with the story, with Victoria nodding in approval and Warren and Brooke both liberally treating Max and Chloe to fist bumps and high fives. Kate sat with her mouth hanging open at the end.

_ Breaking and entering is probably something that's pretty new to her _ , Max thought,  _ and come to think of it, it's really surprising that it  _ isn't  _ new to  _ me _...hella surprising, you might say _ .

They then gathered around Max's laptop for Chloe to show off the emails and files she'd nabbed. However, both Max and Chloe had forgotten what website they'd had up earlier...as soon as Chloe opened the laptop, the room fell absolutely silent until Victoria began howling with laughter.

Max quickly put her hand on Chloe's shoulder and rewound. When she stopped, she was suddenly back on the bed, sitting next to Kate.

_ Shit _ ,  _ that's jarring _ , Max thought, looking over at Chloe and seeing her glance around rapidly, looking confused,  _ the...um...Observer Effect in action _ .

This time around, Chloe put the laptop in her lap first to avoid prying eyes while she minimized the window that they  _ didn't _ want to share while opening the files from the flash drive. She put the laptop on the corner of Max's desk and they gathered around to read through the emails between Sean Prescott and the PIs. As planned, Chloe kept the messages related to the so-called 'artifact' hidden.

With the information shared, everyone returned to their seats around the room and began brainstorming ideas. Warren and Brooke were particularly excited and generated a steady stream of wild ideas. Victoria wasted no time in shooting down unrealistic ideas and supporting anything that sounded plausible; she, after all, had the most direct experience with the Prescotts out of anyone in the room. Even Alyssa's attention was rapt on the conversation. But despite all of the energy and attention in the room towards the PI situation, Max found her own thoughts drawn again and again to Chloe. Her gaze flickered over to Chloe every few moments, looking at her eyes, at her hair, at the way she sat: leaning forward with one leg slightly forward and the other slightly back. Max's eyes were drawn to Chloe's waist, down to her boots...back up to her neck...and her lips.

Then her attention would be drawn back into the conversation as someone made an interesting point about Sean Prescott...or the PIs...or even about Max and Chloe...and then her attention would be back on Chloe.

_ What the hell is  _ wrong  _ with me? _ Max thought,  _ I'm in a room full of people talking about something important and I'm acting like an obsessed fangirl _ .

She glanced again at Chloe as Chloe laughed.

_ I love her laugh...and her smile _ , Max thought,  _ it's so good to see her smiling and laughing so much...it's like old times again. _

Chloe glanced over at Max and Max quickly looked away.

_ Shit _ , she thought,  _ that was way too obvious _ .

She glanced back and Chloe was smirking at her.

In the meantime, a near-consensus had been reached: the dominant theory, championed by Victoria, was that Sean Prescott had hired the PIs to find dirt on Max and Chloe to help delegitimize any testimony they could bring against Nathan.

Max had actually managed to pay attention through that part of the discussion and said, "that does make sense."

She looked at Chloe, who raised an eyebrow.

_ It actually  _ does  _ make sense _ , Max thought,  _ we've sort of been assuming that there's more going on here...that Prescott has some connection to the storm and powers...but we're not even close to  _ sure  _ of that. Victoria's idea seems to fit...it doesn't explain everything but it's the simplest explanation that fits the facts...couple that with Chloe's theory that Prescott might not know what his freaky artifact does...and that he might suspect that we...or someone...broke into his house...and yeah...it fits pretty well. _

With the group settling towards that theory and discussion dying down, both Alyssa and Kate excused themselves. Brooke and Warren were both still curious about some of the details of the PIs' instructions, especially why they were recording so much detail about places and schedules. Victoria theorized that Prescott was looking to be extremely thorough and that, if the PIs didn't find something soon, he could always fire them and use their information to set up targeted surveillance.

Brooke and Warren looked ready to continue the discussion further but Max spoke up.

"Hey, this is still super interesting but I'm getting  _ really  _ tired," she said, not feeling tired at all, "could we continue this later?"

She glanced over at Chloe, who looked disappointed.

"Sure," Brooke said, "it'll give us a chance to sleep on it."

Brooke and Warren left the room, exchanging good night messages with Max, Chloe, and Victoria.

"Alright, I'll let you two have private time," Victoria said with a smirk. She turned to leave but then turned back, saying, "and...thanks for inviting me into this. It was...good. And sorry that you've got old man Prescott on your back. I'm sure he'll back the fuck off after this shit with Nathan is done...he's always too busy making the  _ next _ person's life miserable to hold a grudge."

"Thanks, Victoria," Max said, "good night."

"Good night," Victoria said, closing the door behind her.

Max turned to Chloe and Chloe stood up.

"Okay, Max," Chloe said, stretching, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow? Want to meet up at the Two Whales?"

"Where do you think you're going?" Max said, grinning.

"Oh, want me to sleep over again?" Chloe said with a small but bright smile.

"Who said anything about sleep?" Max said.

"Huh? You said you're tired," Chloe said, tilting her head.

"Oh, I am  _ so _ not tired," Max said, standing.

Chloe's eyes widened.

"I dare you to kiss me," Max said, taking a step towards Chloe.

"Dude, already did that," Chloe said, "although I'm liking where this is going."

"I dare you to  _ really  _ kiss me...the way you really want to," Max said.

_ Oh my god, I can't believe I'm saying this _ , Max thought, butterflies fluttering in her stomach.

"I don't know, G," Chloe said, crossing her arms and giving Max a lopsided smile, "hmm...you know what? I reject your dare and replace it with my own: I dare  _ you  _ to kiss  _ me  _ like  _ you've _ been really wanting t..."

Chloe's last word was muffled as Max closed the distance and pressed her lips onto Chloe's, standing on her tiptoes and clutching Chloe's shoulders. Chloe froze in surprise for just a moment before snaking her arms around Max's waist and pulling her close. She gently tugged on Max's lower lip, biting ever so lightly. Tingles rushed through Max's head and down her arms.

Max pulled away to catch her breath, falling down onto her heels and grinning up at Chloe.

"Damn, Max," Chloe said, breathless, "you are full of surprises."

Before Max could think of something to say, Chloe leaned forward, pressed her palms to Max's neck, and kissed her again.

Chloe came up for a breath and said, "I can't believe you tossed everyone out for this."

Before Max could respond, Chloe kissed her again and they moved towards the bed, an awkward dance of shuffling feet with eyes closed and lips locked together.

Max's legs hit the side of the bed and she pulled away from Chloe.

"Had to," she said, "wanted this so badly."

Chloe gently pushed on Max's shoulders and Max let herself fall onto the bed. She scooted towards the photo-covered wall and Chloe followed, immediately pressing herself against Max and kissing her again.

"Oh," Chloe said, breaking away, "and don't think I didn't notice you staring at me."

She placed a light kiss on Max's lips.

"I knew what that stare was about," Chloe continued, "so I was hella confused when you said you were tired!"

Max reached over and stroked Chloe's hair.

"I needed you alone...fast," Max said.

"Dude, you are seriously turning the charm up to the... _ max _ ," Chloe said.

"Oh, that's it," Max said, pulling Chloe close and kissing her wildly, clutching Chloe's head and just...letting herself go completely.

_ I...had no idea I had this in me _ , Max managed to think.

When they broke apart again, Chloe laughed.

"What?" Max said.

"It's just...damn, I'm still a little surprised by this," Chloe said.

"Even with what you and Beta Max did?" Max said.

"Oh...no, I meant that you just...totally asked for what you wanted," Chloe said, her eyes glinting, "it's...hella hot. I like it."

"I...me too," Max said, her face reddening.

"Also," Chloe said, leaning in, "I should mention that I have an advantage here...I already know some of what you like."

"Uh oh," Max said, feeling tingles of anticipation.

Chloe smiled slyly and kissed Max again, slowly this time...deeply. Max felt like she could feel every detail of Chloe's lips. And then Chloe's placed a hand above Max's ear and slowly raked her fingers through Max's hair.

An involuntary moan escaped from Max's throat and she melted further into Chloe's kiss.

Chloe raked her fingers through Max's hair again and then broke away, chuckling.

"Scratching your head," Chloe said, "totally a Make Max Moan button."

Max blushed and said, "first, totally not fair. Second, that sounds really dirty."

"Huh...well, according to what a certain G-Max said earlier, we'll eventually get to the  _ other  _ Make Max Moan button," Chloe said.

Max's eyes widened and then rapidly narrowed...she went to tickle Chloe's sides but Chloe seized her hands, intertwining their fingers.

"Nope, knew you were going to try that," Chloe said.

Any protest from Max was drowned out when Chloe pressed Max up against the wall and kissed her again. Max's mind went blank and she held onto Chloe's hands tightly.

When Chloe released both the kiss and Max's hands, she stared into Max's eyes, a sly smile on her face.

"I do have one complaint," she said.

"Oh?" Max said.

"Your bed is tiny as fuck," Chloe said.

"Dude, you slept in Blackwell beds!" Max said, "you slept in  _ this  _ bed last night!"

"Yeah, but that was just sleeping," Chloe said.

"Well, I can't make it any bigger so you'll just have to stay  _ really  _ close to me," Max said, reaching an arm around Chloe's waist.

"You make a good argument, G. Complaint withdrawn," Chloe said.

Chloe scooted closer to Max and their lips met again. Max could barely believe what she was feeling...Beta Max's words in the journal had sparked her imagination...but that didn't come close to the roaring fire she felt now. Max couldn't be sure how long they continued and she didn't care...time didn't seem to have much meaning when it was spent like  _ this _ .

After what seemed like hours but was probably only minutes, Chloe's phone, sitting on Max's desk, vibrated. Chloe groaned, her lips firmly planted on Max's.

The phone vibrated again...and then again.

A few moments passed...and then Max's phone, still in her bag, vibrated.

Max and Chloe broke apart and stared at each other momentarily before tumbling out of the bed and into a heap on the floor.

"Ow, shit," Chloe said.

"Crap...sorry," Max said, rolling off of Chloe and reaching for her phone.

Images of tornadoes and graves and bunkers flashed through Max's head, adrenaline surging through her in far less pleasant ways than it had been moments before. She grabbed her phone and found a message from Joyce:

**Joyce** : Max, have you seen Chloe? Is she with you?

A moment later Chloe groaned loudly.

"Dammit, Mom, way to interrupt," Chloe mumbled.

Max smiled and typed a response:

**Max** : Hi Joyce, Chloe's with me. Everything's good.

A few moments passed as Chloe typed on her phone. She finished and looked over at Max with a lopsided grin. Max's phone buzzed and she looked down.

**Joyce** : Thanks for letting me know!  
**Joyce** : Sorry to have interrupted.  
**Joyce** : Please go back to having fun!  
**Joyce** : :)

Max's mouth dropped open and she looked up at Chloe.

"You didn't," Max said.

"What, tell her we were making out?" Chloe said, "yeah, I totally did."

"Oh my god," Max said, "you are insane."

"I know," Chloe said, "oh, and I told her I might be staying here...is that okay?"

"It's okay with me," Max said, grinning.

"Great, now that that's settled, I think we were in the middle of something," Chloe said.

Max dropped her phone to the floor and marched over to Chloe, looping her arms around Chloe's neck, kissing her and pulling her towards the bed.

Chloe stopped before they could tumble down and said, "hey, once we're back in bed, I really don't want to get out again."

"Oh yeah, me neither," Max said, letting go of Chloe and walking to her closet to grab pajamas. She paused and said, "oh fuck it," and pulled off her shirt. She removed her bra, tossed it to the ground, and pulled her shirt back on. She turned around to find Chloe, her pants already off, removing her bra from under her tank top.

"Ha," Max said, pointing, "I saw your boob."

"Are you sure?" Chloe said, lifting her tank top up to her neck, "do you see one now?"

Max chuckled and quickly pulled off her pants and socks. She darted past Chloe and jumped onto the bed, spreading her arms and legs out. Chloe let her shirt drop and stood beside the bed, her arms crossed.

"Bed hog," she said.

"What are you going to do about it?" Max said.

Chloe climbed atop Max, straddling her and leaning close. Max drew in a sharp breath...she very nearly felt trapped...restrained...and her muscles tensed. But this was Chloe...Max looked up into Chloe's eyes and at her gentle smile. She breathed in, smelling hints of tobacco and weed...almost, but not quite, covering up the familiar scent of the girl she'd grown up with: a sweet kind of smell with a tinge of motor grease. And somehow that, more than any of it, allowed Max to breathe out and relax beneath Chloe. Chloe leaned down further and kissed Max lightly...teasing her until Max reached up and pulled her down.

Chloe cried out, "deja vu!" as she fell and Max chuckled. She wondered for a brief moment if she should feel some kind of jealousy for what Beta Max and Chloe had shared. But that particular emotion simply wouldn't materialize...after all, how could she be jealous of herself?

Instead she felt wonder...and excitement...and a closeness she'd never felt before. Chloe's skin rubbed against her bare legs...Chloe's weight pressed gently down on her...the tips of Chloe's hair tickled her face...and Max's heart felt full to the point of bursting.

Then Chloe tilted over and fell to the bed, pulling Max on top of her.

_ Ooh, I like this too _ , Max thought, kissing Chloe's forehead...her nose...and her lips.

When Max propped herself up to look at Chloe, Chloe raised her head and kissed Max's neck, delivering a wave of goosebumps along Max's arms and pulling a tiny moan from Max's throat.

"Aha," Chloe said, "found another one!"

Max smirked and said, "you know, I do have a  _ very  _ advantageous position here."

" _ Oh no _ ," Chloe said, trying to grab Max's hands but failing before Max could bring them to Chloe's sides.

Chloe flailed her arms and laughed loudly...and Max stopped.

"Oh shit, I forgot that other people live here," Max whispered.

Chloe chuckled and said, "finally, I get a reprieve from the Mad Tickler. Huh...maybe everyone will think we're having truly  _ hilarious  _ sex."

Max groaned and planted her face on Chloe's chest.

"Lips are up here, Max," Chloe said.

Max raised her head and glared at Chloe before sliding up and delivering another kiss to Chloe's lips.

With a bed, each other, and no more awkward complications to hold them back, it would be a while before Max and Chloe would even  _ think  _ of sleep.


	12. A Fluffy Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has some NSFW content.

Max woke to soft sunlight and a bird chirping outside of the window. Dream images of her and Chloe chasing Hawt Dawg Man through the streets of Arcadia Bay slowly faded away and Max smiled; she always enjoyed funny dreams. She turned to her left and found herself facing the back of Chloe's tousled blue hair and her bare shoulders.

Max's smile widened. Her first thought was, _I can't believe it...we totally made out last night._

Her second thought, as she stared at Chloe's shoulders, was, _wait, when did Chloe take her shirt off?_

Memories from the previous night jumbled through Max's head. She remembered kissing Chloe for what seemed like hours...amazing, incredible hours. They'd rolled around in bed, nearly falling out several times...and _actually_ falling out once. The night had become pretty steamy…

_Chloe could have taken off her shirt and I might not have even_ noticed, Max thought, _I was so focused on everything else going on_.

Max began to stretch and then a thought struck her: _um...was that_ all _that Chloe took off?_

She gently lifted the covers, peeking under to see that Chloe was still wearing her fireworks-emblazoned underwear.

_That would've been a little bit more than I'm ready for_ , Max thought.

Her eyes lingered on Chloe's back, the motion of Chloe's breathing looking so calm and peaceful.

_She_ is _beautiful_ , Max thought, her eyes wandering up to Chloe's neck and back down to her hips.

She reached out and traced the backs of her fingers slowly from Chloe's neck up to her shoulder and then down her side to her hips. Max's heart fluttered as she heard Chloe sigh. Max repeated the motion, smiling.

_I could just lay here like this for hours_ , she thought.

A few moments later, Chloe raised her arms into a stretch and turned onto her back, grinning at Max.

Max smiled back and looked down over Chloe's chest and stomach. Chloe followed Max's eyes and her own eyes widened.

"Dude, did you take my shirt?" she said.

"No," Max said, propping her head up.

"But...oh...right, now I remember," Chloe said, putting a hand to her forehead, "I totally yanked it off last night. It was...getting pretty hot in here."

"That...sounds about right," Max said, feeling some heat in her cheeks.

Chloe's brow furrowed and she said, "you're...okay with this?" Her hand reached towards the covers.

"Yeah, I'm okay with it," Max said, her eyes wandering again, "definitely okay with it."

_Which is...kind of surprising_ , Max thought, _I would've thought I'd feel super awkward...but it's Chloe...and it's just no shirt. Not really that big of a deal, now that I think about it_.

Chloe visibly relaxed and smiled.

"You...like what you see?" she said with a lopsided smile.

"Oh yes...very much...although," Max said, her lip twitching, "I'm half wondering if this shirt tossing is a ploy to get _me_ to take off clothes."

"No," Chloe said, shaking her head, "no way...just me being fast and loose with my own shit...er...unless of course it works."

Max thought for a moment, shrugged, and sat up, pulling off her shirt and tossing it to the floor. She laid back down, blushing furiously.

_Holy shit, I can't believe I just did that_ , Max thought, suppressing the almost overwhelming urge to yank the covers up to her shoulders or to curl up into a ball. Despite thinking just moments before that this wasn't a big deal, she felt incredibly vulnerable...and very self-conscious. Chloe stared at her with her mouth open, her eyes zipping from Max's red face down to her waist and back. As Max watched Chloe's gaze transform from astonishment to amused admiration, she started to relax.

"Dude," Chloe said, "I can't believe you did that...and that you didn't rewind it," she laughed, "you are such a badass. I _am_ a good bad influence."

"So...do you...do you like what _you_ see?" Max said, a little embarrassed by her quiet voice...a far cry from Chloe's bold tone moments earlier.

"Hell yeah, Max," Chloe said, "you...uh...wouldn't remember this but when we had our hot tub party...I was totally checking you out. You're beautiful...and so fucking adorable."

Max smiled and said, "You too, Chloe...you are _so_ beautiful. When I woke up a few minutes ago I just kind of stared at you; I was...kind of mesmerized. And I did this on your back." She reached out gingerly and touched Chloe's cheek with the back of her fingers before moving her hand down Chloe's neck, over her shoulder, and down her side. Chloe closed her eyes and smiled.

When Max withdrew her hand, Chloe opened her eyes and grinned, saying, "ha, from anyone else that would be kinda creepy...but from you it's hella cute."

She reached over and ran a hand through Max's hair and then down to her shoulder before stopping.

"Um, is this okay?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said, closing her eyes.

Chloe continued moving her hand, slowly, all the way to Max's hip. Goosebumps prickled all along Max's skin and she heard Chloe chuckle.

She opened her eyes and looked down to where Chloe was staring.

"Oh my god," Max said, covering her chest.

"Dude, don't be embarrassed," Chloe said, "I've got the same equipment over here."

Max slowly uncurled herself, a grimace slowly turning into a small smile.

"Sorry," she said, "I...eventually I'll get over being so awkward."

"Hey, I'm not judging," Chloe said, putting a hand on Max's cheek, "just remember: because I'm your girlfriend, awkward gets converted to cute. But...I'm still your best friend too. Which means that awkward _also_ gets converted to hilarious."

Max managed a chuckle and Chloe leaned over, kissing Max's forehead.

"You're awesome, Chloe," Max said, "you're the only one who could possibly make me feel relaxed when I only have underwear on."

"Well, then the next challenge is to get you relaxed with your underwear _off_ ," Chloe said with a wink.

"You are too much," Max said.

"Yep yep," Chloe said, "so...I'd totally be all over you right now but I think I need a shower."

"Yeah, me too," Max said, "do you know what time it is?"

Chloe flipped over and reached for one of the phones on the nightstand. Max took the opportunity to run her fingers along Chloe's back, eliciting a tiny yelp from Chloe.

"Ah! That tickles," she said, rolling back with Max's phone in hand.

Max looked down at Chloe's chest and said, "you're right, totally works on you too."

Chloe grinned and said, "oh there _will_ be revenge for that."

"I'm shaking with fright," Max said.

"Yeah, 'fright'...let's pretend _that's_ what you're shaking with," Chloe said.

Max smiled and looked at her phone: only a little after eight.

_I guess we weren't up as late as I thought_ , Max thought.

"Still pretty early," Max said.

"Awesome," Chloe said, "when's your first class?"

"Um...not until eleven," Max said, "Mrs. Hoida is still out."

"Damn, I hope she gets better...and, um...might be awkward to say this this but I feel like you should be getting a partial tuition refund," Chloe said.

"I can't complain too much," Max said, "my scholarship is pretty big."

Chloe chuckled and said, "so was mine...and look what happened to _that_ . Hmm...I do _not_ want to get up. I just want to lay here and stare at your boobs or whatever."

Max laughed, "we have to get up eventually."

"But we have the whole morning...and I don't want to get dressed," Chloe said.

"Well, you can get undressed again when you're in the shower," Max said, "and...try to keep it on the down low since you're not really supposed to be here."

"Oh, then maybe we should share a shower," Chloe said, "you know, so that there isn't an extra one being used."

"Oh, I'm sure _that's_ why you want to share a shower," Max said, poking Chloe's side.

"Of course," Chloe said, eyebrows raised in a thoroughly unconvincing attempt at an innocent expression, "it has absolutely nothing to do with any desire to see your, as Victoria apparently put it, cute butt."

"Oh, that's it," Max leapt over and began tickling Chloe's sides.

Chloe shrieked with laughter and tried to pry Max off. She rolled halfway over but Max pressed her attack and ended up on top.

"Okay stop...stop! I surrender," Chloe managed through fits of laughter.

Max stopped and collapsed down laughing, her head on Chloe's chest. Max could feel Chloe's rapid heartbeat and relaxed, her nose and lips against Chloe's skin.

"Max, I...kind of like this," Chloe said, running a hand through Max's hair.

"Me too," Max said, her voice muffled by Chloe's sternum, "this is really comfy…"

"I feel so damn lucky, Max," Chloe said, "to have you back...especially to have you back like _this_."

Max kissed Chloe's chest and raised her head.

"Me too...crazy, isn't it?" Max said.

"Yeah," Chloe said.

They stared at each other until Max's alarm went off. Max rolled off of Chloe and silenced it.

"Alright," Chloe said, "getting up."

She sat up and swung her legs out, standing up and stretching. Max stared up at her, taking in every line and curve of her shape, the light from the windows giving her skin a bright glow.

Chloe turned around and smiled.

"Checking me out?" she said.

"Duh," Max said, "and thinking of how amazing of a photo that would have been."

"Dude, you can totally take pictures of me au naturale," Chloe said, "just...you know...keep them between us. Unless you're submitting them to a gallery or something. Then it's, like, officially art and totally legit."

"Maybe," Max said, surprised that she wasn't immediately rejecting the idea, "but for now I think I'll stick to my standard repertoire."

"Selfies and stuff?" Chloe said.

"Yep, pretty much," Max said with a smile.

"You could take a selfie _now_ ," Chloe said.

Max looked down at herself.

"You'd like that one, wouldn't you?" Max said.

"I'd keep it with me always," Chloe said with a dramatic flair, "unless you wanted to submit it to a gallery or something." She shrugged.

Max imagined herself in the Zeitgeist Gallery in San Francisco, standing in front of a massive print of a mostly-naked selfie on the wall. She shuddered.

"What?" Chloe said.

"Just imagining a naked selfie hanging in an art gallery...I'd just die," Max said.

"Would you feel better if there was a nude shot of _me_ next to it?" Chloe said.

"I'd die a little happier," Max said.

Chloe laughed and said, "alright, let's get cleaned up."

Max reluctantly rolled out of bed and pulled her shirt and pajama shorts on. Chloe pulled her tank top on and borrowed a pair of Max's pajama shorts.

"Okay, let's get over to the showers quickly...and here," Max said, handing a plastic bag with toiletries to Chloe, "my travel-sized stuff from when I first got here."

"Awesome," Chloe said, "let's do some sneaking."

However, the moment they stepped out into the hall, Victoria, Taylor, and Courtney emerged from Victoria's room. The trio stared wide-eyed at Chloe and Max. Max turned a deep shade of red and Chloe grinned.

"Yo, how's it going?" Chloe said.

"You two totally fucked last night, didn't you?" Victoria said.

Despite the surprisingly genuine grin on Victoria's face, Max said, "nope, this is not happening." She grabbed Chloe's arm and rewound.

Victoria and her posse disappeared back into her room and Max stopped about a minute earlier.

"Okay, let's go," Max whispered.

"Aww, that was getting seriously hilarious," Chloe said.

"Want to stick around and go through it again?" Max said.

"Nah, I'll just treasure their expressions forever," Chloe said, "and also...damn...I don't think I'm _ever_ going to get used to rewinding...it is _so_ fucking insane."

**. . . . .**

Max turned the shower on and carefully adjusted the knob to the best temperature.

From the next stall, she heard the water start and Chloe said, "I forgot that these showers are kinda nice."

Max took her shower, slightly anxious that someone would find out that Chloe was showering here...and with a small but persistent wish that Chloe was in the same stall with her.

_Do I_ really _want that now? Am I ready for that?_ Max thought, _I guess it would be fun...I'd totally splash her a bunch. And it would be intimate...super intimate._

She shook her head and grabbed her soap.

"Hey, G?" Chloe said.

"Yeah?" Max said.

"Do you have any decent face wash over there? There isn't one in here," Chloe said.

"Sure," Max said. She grabbed her face wash and held it outside the shower curtain; Chloe snatched it away.

"Thanks," Chloe said, "do you need it back?"

"Nope, already done," Max said.

"Awesome, and remember: don't drop the soap," Chloe said.

Max immediately dropped the soap in her hands.

"You didn't do that on purpose, did you?" Chloe said.

"No," Max said with a sigh.

"Ha, you're adorable," Chloe said, "and...um...mind if I use your little travel toothbrush?"

"For what?" Max said.

"For brushing my teeth," Chloe said.

"In the shower?" Max said.

"No, that would be weird," Chloe said, "I just saw it in the bag and figured I'd ask now."

"Oh...yeah, of course," Max said, "after all, we're already sharing germs."

"Damn right we are," Chloe said.

They both finished their showers, threw clothes back on, and emerged to brush their teeth.

As Max put her toothbrush back into her caddy and Chloe finished rinsing her own, Dana stepped into the room, yawning.

"Hey, Max. Hey, Chloe," she said, shuffling to a sink.

Max and Chloe looked at each other and then back at Dana. Dana looked back at them, toothbrush in her mouth...and then her eyes widened, she spit out her toothpaste, and hopped over to them, wrapping them both in a tight hug.

"Oh my god oh my god," she said, "this is so adorable."

Max managed to reach around and pat Dana on the back; Chloe's arms were pinned to her sides and she grimaced.

Dana released them and stepped back, grinning, a glob of toothpaste at the corner of her mouth.

"So...did you?" Dana said.

"Um...did we what?" Max said.

"Max, come on, you're both wearing a combination of day clothes and pajamas...and you clearly just got out of the shower. You _know_ what I mean," Dana said.

Chloe chuckled and said, "nope, not yet."

"Did you at least make out?" Dana said.

"Oh yes," Chloe said with a grin.

Dana wrapped them in another hug, hopping up and down and squealing with delight.

When she released them, Max smiled up at her and said, "wow Dana, you can really make the most awkward of things into a celebration."

"Of course!" Dana said.

"Just, ah, don't tell Wells I was here," Chloe said.

Dana made a zipping motion across her lips.

**. . . . .**

Max and Chloe returned to Max's room and changed. Max then produced a pair of granola bars to snack on; Chloe looked at hers with a wrinkled nose.

"You and your hippie food," she said.

"Hey, I like these," Max said, "they have great fiber and protein."

"Great, so you'll poop nicely," Chloe said, wincing as she took a bite.

"I think you're just pretending to hate them," Max said.

"I do have an image to maintain," Chloe said.

"As do I," Max said, pulling out her camera and snapping a photo of Chloe looking incredulous. She then looked around the room and smiled; she pointed her camera at the jumbled sheets on the bed and took a photo.

"Nice," Chloe said.

"This is one that I'll treasure," Max said, writing the date on the bottom.

"Using it as an emergency photo?" Chloe said, eyebrow raised.

"A good excuse to write the date...so I'll remember _exactly_ what it represents," Max said, putting it into her bag.

"So now what?" Chloe said, finishing her granola bar.

"I don't know about you but I'm still hungry," Max said.

"Yeah, I'm starving...we had quite a workout last night," Chloe said with a lopsided grin.

Max returned the grin and said, "I'd say Two Whales but I'm not sure I want to drive all the way down there and then back."

"How's the breakfast at the cafeteria?" Chloe said.

"Um...," Max said.

**. . . . .**

"Dude, this kinda sucks," Chloe said, putting her tray on the table and sitting down heavily.

"For what it is, it's pretty decent," Max said, sitting across from her.

They'd decided to risk the cafeteria; Max had never seen Principal Wells there at breakfast so she figured Chloe wouldn't get caught. Chloe had piled her plate with a mound of moist scrambled eggs, stiff waffles, and a pair of sausage links.

Max had grabbed a few slices of bacon and a tiny box of cereal. She dumped the contents of the box into a bowl of milk and stared at it.

"I think we've been spoiled by the Two Whales," Max said.

"No kidding," Chloe said, prodding the eggs on her plate, "who the hell likes their eggs this _soggy_?"

"I don't get it either," Max said, "soggy and runny eggs are the worst."

Chloe ate a small forkful and said, "fuck, these are hella gross."

"You put them on your plate, you'd better eat them, young lady," Max said, shaking a spoon at Chloe.

"Don't you 'young lady' me, Maxine Caulfield," Chloe said, "I'm older than you and you're supposed to respect your elders and their dining choices."

Max said, "I thought people your age _liked_ mushy foods, Miss cradle robber."

"Ouch," Chloe said, grinning, "maybe that milk in your bowl should be in a bottle, little Maxy."

Max laughed and opened her mouth to respond but a voice called out, "hey, you guys!" behind her.

She looked over her shoulder to see Warren approaching.

"Hey Warren, good morning," Max said brightly.

"Yo," Chloe said, her smile turning to a frown as she eyed the eggs on her fork.

"Haven't seen you here for breakfast before, Chloe," Warren said, "and come to think of it, I haven't seen _you_ here in a while either, Max."

"Oh, that's because we've been going to the Two Whales for breakfast," Max said.

"Nice. Is it good?" Warren said, before shoveling a large bite of scrambled eggs into his mouth, making Chloe's frown turn to a grimace of disgust.

"Dude, it's _way_ better than this shit," Chloe said, giving up on the eggs momentarily and spearing a sausage, "you've _got_ to go sometime. Get the bacon omelette."

"Or the Belgian waffle," Max interjected.

"Take Brooke there," Chloe continued, "and I'm sure the results will be better than if you took her to Rue Altimore."

"Is that how you got Max? With waffles and bacon?" Warren said.

"Zing, I love it," Chloe said.

"Oh yes, definitely," Max said, "it has _nothing_ to do with her crazy personality or her beautiful face...or that she's my best friend...or her awesome hair or her unbelievable coolness...or the way she plays footsie at the _least_ appropriate times."

"Wow, Max," Chloe said, "really turning on the charm there...totally a big reason why I'm playing footsie with you right now."

Warren scooted an inch away from Max and said, "Maybe I should give you two some privacy."

"We're just messing around," Max said, "and speaking of people sharing private time, where's Brooke?"

"Oh, we usually don't meet up until later in the day...different morning routines," Warren said.

"You guys have any plans for the weekend?" Max said.

"Yep," Warren said, a grin lighting his face, "we're going _Ape_ tonight!"

"Dude, you should keep your fetishes to yourself until you've read the room," Chloe said.

Warren blushed and said, "no...it's...we're going to see Planet of the Apes at the drive-thru...you were _there_ when we talked about this."

"I have selective memory," Chloe said, "I forget anything that gets in the way of humor."

"And by humor she means dirty humor," Max said, earning her a gentle kick under the table.

"You going to make a move?" Chloe said to Warren, "or...um...I guess whatever your _next_ move is?"

"I...um...I hadn't really thought of it," he said, "er...should I?"

Max and Chloe looked at each other.

"Well, don't ask me," Max said, "if you were _me_ , you'd just patiently sit there until she _asked_ you to make a move."

"Or dared," Chloe said.

"Or dared...I suppose that _is_ more accurate," Max said.

"And if you were me, you'd be all over her about five minutes in," Chloe said.

"Really?" Warren said.

"Er...no, actually," Chloe said, looking at Max, "you'd pretend that you were all cool about it and then try to gauge interest by doing something like oh, I don't know, daring her to make a move."

"I'm seeing a lot of signs pointing towards a dare...I'm not sure that would work," Warren said.

"Nah, don't do that," Chloe said.

"So should I wait for _her_ to make a move?" Warren said.

Max and Chloe looked at each other again.

"Yeah, don't ask me," Max said, "because I'd say yes...but that's probably wrong."

Warren looked at Chloe.

"Lot of pressure here," Chloe said, "but I'd say just go with the flow. Feel it out. Scoot closer to her. She scoots closer to you? Awesome. Then you...I don't know...put your arm around her shoulders? Just take it a step at a time. Hell, you can even just ask her at some point if she wants to take the next step. That shit's kinda romantic...maybe. Then, you know, take it from there."

"That...actually helps," Warren said.

"Good," Chloe said, grabbing a salt shaker and vigorously shaking it over her eggs. She took a few more bites but still looked unhappy. She turned to her second sausage and her waffles instead.

Max had finished her cereal and her bacon and sipped at a glass of orange juice, smiling at the sight of Chloe's battle with her breakfast.

Chloe looked up from sawing into a waffle and her eyes went wide.

"Shit!" she said and dove under the table.

"What the hell?" Warren said.

"Um...Chloe?" Max said, gazing under the table.

Someone cleared his throat above and Max looked up; Principal Wells stood at the side of the table, his arms crossed.

"Miss Price, I know you're under there," he said.

Chloe's head poked up.

"Oh, hi Raymond," she said, "I...um...dropped something."

"I'm sure you did," Wells said, "now, do you mind telling me what you're doing here?"

"Um...I came up to visit Max and we decided to come get...food," she gestured at her tray.

"You do realize that the cafeteria is for the use of Blackwell students, faculty, and staff only, don't you?" Wells said.

"Er...I'd never actually seen that written anywhere but I suppose that makes sense," Chloe said.

Wells turned to Max and said, "and you, Miss Caulfield; surely you know that outside guests aren't allowed."

"Um…," Max started.

"Hey, it's totally my fault," Chloe said, "and I swear I won't eat the food here again. Really. Seriously. Not even kidding."

Principal Wells looked back and forth between Max and Chloe and then to Warren.

"And you, Mr. Graham? Were you aware of the rules?" Wells said.

Warren spit out a bit of the juice he was drinking and, while wiping his face with a napkin, said, "I...not really. I...um...I don't have any other friends outside of Blackwell so I'd never really thought about it."

Wells sighed.

"Hey, would it help if I made a donation to the school?" Chloe said.

"What?" Wells said.

"A donation...you know, money. What if I gave...um…$200," Chloe said.

"To any particular fund?" Wells said, looking incredibly skeptical.

"Um...maybe...the handicapped fund?" Chloe said.

Max snorted.

"Do you think that's funny, Miss Caulfield?" Wells said.

"Oh...um, no...it's just that...Chloe had mentioned before that there weren't any ramps here so I thought it was kind of...er...funny that she picked that," Max said.

"As a matter of fact we do have an ongoing fund for accessibility improvements," Wells said, "the first stage is making the first floor of the dorms and main building accessible."

"Okay then," Chloe said, digging into her coat pocket and producing a wad of cash. She slipped a pair of hundred dollar bills out and extended them out towards Principal Wells, saying, "here, a donation to Blackwell Academy for the...um...accessibility fund."

Max raised her eyebrows, Warren stared with his mouth open, and Principal Wells stood motionless.

Finally, Wells said, "Miss Price, where did you get so much money?"

"I know what you're thinking," she said, still holding the money out, "but I didn't rob a bank or sell drugs or anything. You can take it with a good conscience."

"Well, thank you then, Miss Price," Wells said, taking the money, "this is...very generous of you. However, I must insist that you keep your promise that you won't be eating here. This facility really is for the Blackwell community only."

"Does that include donors?" Chloe said.

"I'll...get back to you on that, Miss Price," Wells said, turning and walking away.

"Oh my god, that was crazy," Max said as soon as Wells left the room.

"Where _did_ you get that money?" Warren said, his voice low, "did it...did it come from the PI place?"

"Nah dude, you think PIs roll with hella cash?" Chloe said, "let's just say that I don't feel guilty _at all_ about having this money." She put her hands behind her head and leaned back.

Warren looked at Max.

"Yes, Warren, I do know where it came from and no, I'm really sorry but I can't give you the details," Max said, "but I'm with Chloe; totally no guilt over having it."

"Okay...I'll take your word for it...I'm hoping that, someday, you'll tell me what's up with you guys," Warren said, stabbing his eggs.

"What do you mean? You know that we're totally into each other and stuff," Chloe said.

"No, not that," Warren said, "there's something...I don't know...mysterious about both of you. Things you've said and done...things that just feel a little odd. I can't quite put my finger on it."

"Warren," Max said, putting a hand gently on his wrist, "I promise I'll tell you." He gazed at her, confusion and curiosity playing through his eyes.

"Really?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, really," Max said, still looking at Warren, "it feels weird that you don't know about all of the craziness. But...not quite yet. I promise though."

"Okay," Warren said, "I believe you...it's going to drive me nuts trying to figure it out until you _do_ tell me. It...must be pretty crazy."

"Ha, you have no idea," Chloe said.

"So, to distract me from your crazy secrets, what are you two doing this weekend?" Warren said.

Chloe's brow furrowed and then her eyes lit up.

"Portland!" she said.

Max's eyes widened and she said, "oh shit, I almost forgot! Yeah, we're going to Portland. Crap, we're supposed to drive there this afternoon, too."

"Fuck, this is going to be so fucking awesome," Chloe said, practically bouncing in her seat. Max grinned.

"Nice! You know what you're going to do yet?" Warren said.

"Go to Powell's," Max said immediately.

"Yes!" Warren said, giving Max a high-five.

Chloe snorted and said, "whatever, nerds."

"Dude, I _know_ that you love that place," Max said before turning to Warren and saying, "we visited a couple of times when we were kids and she would just vanish. I mean, sometimes it was because we were playing hide and seek but mostly because she'd get mesmerized and wander off. I'd track her down and find her with a huge stack of manga or something."

"Okay fine, it's true," Chloe said, "and of course Max would be carrying around giant photo art books."

"All of which I still have," Max said.

"Hey, I've actually still got a bunch of those old manga," Chloe said, "maybe I'll stock up on some more...I'm sure there are series that I never finished."

"Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: a nerd," Max said, gesturing grandly at Chloe.

"Welcome to our world, Chloe Price," Warren said regally, "would you like to visit space opera, anime, high fantasy, time travel, or fringe science first?"

"Hmm...yes...I shall start with a bit of anime," Chloe said with a horrible posh accent, "and my darling here will start with a dash of time travel."

Max rolled her eyes and noticed that Warren's eyes darted to her at the mention of time travel.

_Oh right_ , Max thought, _Beta Max told him and Brooke the whole story of the missing week, pretending it was a dream. Warren's probably been wondering all along if there's some bit of truth to it. It's weird...after all, it was_ so _hard to convince him in my old timeline. Without things like the snow and the eclipse, he was totally and stubbornly skeptical...but for_ this _Warren, the idea's probably been percolating in his head ever since Beta Max planted that seed. On the plus side, it'll make it easier when I eventually spill the beans to him...and I know from experience that Kate takes it better when Warren is convinced...alternate timelines are so weird_.

Max pushed those thoughts aside and decided to roll with Chloe's joke and said, in her own horrid accent, "why yes, indeed, and after we've had a taste of the Tardis and the Delorean, we'd love to try a spot of science fiction."

"Favorite?" Warren said.

"Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, of course," Max said, making Chloe chuckle.

"Eh," Warren said, shrugging.

Max turned to him, eyes narrowed, and said, "say what now?"

"Uh oh," Chloe said.

"Oh...um...I mean, it's okay...I enjoyed it," Warren said, leaning away from Max.

"Dude, it is _such_ an amazing movie," Max said.

"Okay, I think it's time for me to take this Max home before she starts biting you," Chloe said, standing up.

"Well hey, I haven't seen that movie in a long time so...maybe we could watch it sometime. You know, the three of us and Brooke? Then I could see it through new and more appreciative eyes," Warren said, making Max smile.

"Smooth move, Warren," Chloe said, "keep that spirit up and I think you'll _ape_ just fine."

"Yeah, I'll just keep that spirit within," Warren said.

Max laughed and Chloe shook her head.

"Alright, Warren, you're on," Max said, standing, "Final Fantasy; you, me, Chloe, and Brooke. You will be enlightened."

"Awesome," Warren said.

"Hold on," Chloe said, "we still have our own showdown, Warren...that comes first. You, me; Kart, Smash. Remember?"

"Oh, I remember," Warren said, "ready any time you are, Price."

"It'll be soon, Graham, it'll be soon," Chloe said.

"It'll be _epic_ ," Warren said, "and...um...are you going to eat your eggs?"

"No," Chloe said, pushing her tray over to Warren.

**. . . . .**

"Okay, time to pack," Max said as she stepped into her room, Chloe right behind her, "I'm glad my travel stuff's out already...makes it that much easier."

"Dude, we're only going to be gone for two days," Chloe said, laying on Max's bed.

"Well yeah, but I still need to pack some clothes and toiletries and my camera and film and my journal...oh, and I'll need to make sure to leave room for books from Powell's...and any other souvenirs."

"We'll have my truck," Chloe said.

"Oh, right," Max said, opening a drawer and tossing four pairs of underwear onto the couch, "that means we'll have plenty of room."

She opened up another drawer and tossed four pairs of socks onto the couch.

"Hey, do you know what the weather will be?" Max said.

"Awesome, with a chance of sexy," Chloe said.

"Seriously, Chloe, I need to know what to bring," Max said.

"Okay fine," Chloe said, checking her phone, "it'll be, like, sixty by the time we get there. And then mid forties to mid sixties on Saturday with some clouds. And Sunday...fog...and sun...and same temps." She dropped her phone to the bed.

"Ooh, that sounds perfect," Max said, reaching into her closet and pulling out five t-shirts.

"Dude," Chloe said, glancing over, "those t-shirts are all the same."

Max glared over her shoulder. She picked four and tossed them onto the couch. She then grabbed two pairs of jeans and two hoodies and tossed those onto the couch.

Chloe quietly rolled out of the bed and snuck over as Max stared into the closet, arms crossed.

"Will I need anything heavier?" Max mumbled to herself, "...or lighter?"

"Max!" Chloe shouted, wrapping her arms around Max's waist.

Max jumped in Chloe's arms and said, "what the _fuck_ , Chloe? You're going to scare me to death one of these days."

"Come on, G...we'll be in Portland for _two_ days. You're packing for, like, two weeks," Chloe said.

"Are you saying you only take four pairs of socks and underwear on a two week trip? That's so gross," Max said, wriggling in Chloe's grip.

"I'm exaggerating," Chloe said, holding on firmly, "but I take _one_ pair for each day."

"I like to have backups," Max said.

"For what?" Chloe said.

"What if I step in a puddle and get my socks wet?" Max said, "then I have an extra pair."

"Huh, I guess that's a good point," Chloe said, "and I suppose you might need extra underwear."

"Wait, why?" Max said. She paused and said, "Chloe, that's gross."

"No it's not...it's totally natural," Chloe said, "means everything's working properly."

"Oh my god, you are such a dork," Max said, pushing Chloe's arms apart and twirling around to face her.

"Well, if you want to keep it from being a problem, just wear a pantiliner for heavy make-out sessions," Chloe said.

Max stared.

"Or, you know, just don't wear underwear," Chloe said, shrugging.

"I don't even know what to say," Max said.

"Don't say anything. Come with me," Chloe said, holding out her hand.

"Chloe, I have to pack," Max said.

"Max, you've got all of your clothes stacked right there and you already have all of your mini travel things out," Chloe said, "all you're going to do is dump it all into a bag, which will take you about two minutes...and then you're going to stand there wondering what else you should bring...and then you'll end up with six pairs of everything, half of your photo books, and a stack of DVDs."

"What if there's a DVD player in the hotel room?" Max said.

"You are unbelievable," Chloe said.

Max looked between her stack of clothing on the couch and Chloe's outstretched hand.

"Um, where do you want to go?" Max said.

"To the bed," Chloe said, grinning.

"Are you cereal?" Max said.

"You know you want to," Chloe said, crossing her left leg in front of her right and putting a hand on her hip.

_She_ is _right...I_ do _want to_ , Max thought, her eyes darting to Chloe's lips.

"I...I guess I can pack later," Max said, her lips twitching into a smile.

"Awesome," Chloe said, reaching forward and grabbing Max's hand. She rapidly stepped backwards, dragging Max over to the bed. Chloe fell onto the bed, dragging Max on top of her. Max's laugh was cut off by Chloe pulling her down for a kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> With Max and Chloe solving a tiny part of the mysteries in front of them in the last chapters, they're now experiencing a little more of what looks to be their new normal...so this chapter and a few of the following ones are a little fluffier (hence the title for this chapter). Like a couple of the earlier chapters, I was seriously tempted to cut these...but I liked exploring a little more about Warren, Kate, Max's life at school, and, of course, little moments of Max and Chloe's growing relationship. So, fear not...while there's a bunch of fun fluff ahead (including the trip to Portland!), the list of mysteries from earlier isn't going away...Max and Chloe are right in the middle of something that connects the pieces, mysteries, and loose ends from the original story and this story's predecessor...and they'll be finding out more (and sooner than they expect).


	13. Not Dodging Time with Kate

"Chloe, I should really go to class," Max said.

"Do you want to?" Chloe said, kissing Max on the nose.

"No…," Max said.

"But you _should_...I know," Chloe said with a sigh, "what class is it?"

"PE," Max said.

" _What?_ Are you shitting me?" Chloe said, "you actually _go_ to PE?"

"Yeah...it's in my schedule and I do get a grade for it," Max said, "besides, I need exercise from time to time."

"Hey, you get pretty physical with _me_ now," Chloe said, pulling Max close, "and we're definitely covering 'physical education', amirite?"

"Yeah, but I'm not getting graded on this," Max said, "er...am I?"

"I'd make a joke...but I can't think of a way to make it not creepy as hell," Chloe said.

"Well, you always get an A+ from me, Chloe," Max said.

"And….there's the adorable," Chloe said.

Max smiled.

"Okay, fine, go get yourself physically educated," Chloe said, kissing Max softly and then rolling out of bed, "know what you're doing today? Ping pong? Skateboarding? Push ups? Kayaking?"

"You clearly haven't been to a PE class in a while," Max said, sitting up.

"Yeah, that was one of the first classes I stopped going to," Chloe said.

Max chuckled and said, "PE was always one of the few classes where I did better than you."

"That's because all of my effort was up here, G," Chloe said, pointing to her head.

"And now?" Max said.

"Much more spread out," Chloe said.

Max shook her head and said, "what's your plan for the rest of the day until we leave?"

"Um...what's your schedule?" Chloe said.

"After PE is lunch, which...oh shit, I forgot that I have lunch with Kate today," Max said, slapping her palm to her forehead.

"You do?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, we set it a couple of weeks ago...after everything that's happened I'm surprised I remembered at all...although maybe...maybe you could come along too?" Max said.

"Whoa, I don't want to intrude," Chloe said.

"I'll ask; she's in PE with me," Max said, grabbing her bag.

"Okay...so maybe I'll hang with you guys at lunch," Chloe said, "what do you have after that?"

"Music Lab," she said.

"Nice, I'll crash it and punkify your class," Chloe said.

"And then I have Cultural Anthropology," Max said.

"Shit, I'll go home to pack during _that_ ," Chloe said.

"Really? I think you'd make a great case study," Max said with a grin.

"You are _so_ asking for it," Chloe said.

"Why yes, yes I am," Max said.

"Okay, Maxaroni, then I'll also be planning revenge," Chloe said, striding over and gently spanking Max, eliciting a surprised yelp, "and you'd better get your apparently-cute ass over to get some exercise."

Max, still trying to gauge how much she liked what Chloe just did, nodded.

"Oh, and text me about lunch," Chloe added.

"Okay," Max said.

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed Chloe.

In the distance, the bell rang and Max fell back to her heels.

"Shit," she said, "see you later!"

"Have fun doing whatever you do in PE," Chloe called out as Max rushed out the door.

**. . . . .**

Max hurriedly changed into her gym clothes and caught up with Kate, who was trailing behind the rest of the PE class walking over to the main gym.

Kate looked back as Max approached and said, "hi Max, for a minute I thought you might be skipping class."

Max grinned and said, "nope, just lost track of time."

"Do you still want to go to lunch today?" Kate said.

"Of course," Max said with a smile.

"I...think I would have forgotten that we planned it if I hadn't written it in my planner," Kate said.

"To be honest, I _did_ forget about it until Chloe asked me what I was doing today," Max said.

"Oh, does Chloe want to join us?" Kate said.

"Er...would that be okay?" Max said, "I was going to ask."

"Of course!" Kate said.

"Kate, you're the best," Max said, grinning.

"After all," Kate said as they entered the gym, "you two are pretty inseparable...see?" She pointed to the bleachers.

Max looked up and her mouth fell open. Chloe was sitting in the bleachers, leaning back with her legs splayed out and her hands behind her head.

"I can't believe she's here to _watch_ ," Max said, groaning but unable to keep a smile off of her face.

"Well, it should be exciting...for a spectator, at least," Kate said.

Max raised an eyebrow.

"We're playing dodgeball," Kate said, "did...did you read the syllabus?"

"I...didn't even remember we _had_ a syllabus for PE," Max said, "remember, you're a far more dedicated student than I am, Kate."

The PE teacher rolled a basket out, filled to the brim with squishy dodgeballs. He lined them up along the center of the gym floor and explained the rules to the gathered students.

_Who doesn't know the rules for dodgeball?_ Max thought, _after all, it's just dodge, duck, dip, dive...dodge_. She chuckled to herself.

They split into teams and, at the teacher's whistle, about half of each team ran for the balls in the center. Max stayed behind.

_My dodgeball strategy: stay in the back, wait for a ball to roll to me, pick it up, and use it to block. And then maybe..._ maybe _...throw it at someone who isn't a football player_.

Moments later though, Logan nailed Max's shoulder with fast ball and she walked to the sidelines. She could hear Chloe booing at Logan from the bleachers and she smiled.

She rotated in and out, usually getting removed from the game when someone would catch a slow ball that she threw, each time reinforcing her thought that she should just never throw the damn ball. She did manage to hit Stella out early on. Her crowning achievement was hitting Logan out when he turned to throw a ball at Kate. Chloe stood up and yelled, "woop woop!" at that.

In the last game, though, Max decided to have some fun. A ball came straight at her from Stella and a moment after it impacted, Max rewound. She stepped to the side just as Stella threw and the ball missed. Max grinned. Logan tossed a fast ball at her, hitting her leg hard...so she rewound and twisted her leg to the side; the shot missed. The third time she performed a rewind dodge, she heard Chloe laughing and hazarded a glance up to the bleachers, where Chloe was doubled over.

_I bet she knows what I'm doing_ , Max thought, rewinding again after getting hit in the head.

Max continued with her own version of dodgeball, using her power to dodge every hit. A few minutes later, she was the last of her team in the game. To the encouraging cheers from her teammates, she dropped the ball she was carrying and waited for one of the three people on the other team to throw. One of them finally threw a ball at her and she reached out to catch it...and promptly dropped it. So she rewound and tried again to catch the ball...and dropped it again. On her third try, she caught it, letting Juliet back into the game. Juliet, being a legitimate badass at dodgeball, turned the game around. Max's team won the last game and Max, who had never had much interest in _anything_ athletic, relished the cheers, high-fives, and hugs.

_I_ have _to use my rewind in PE more often_ , she thought, _that was amazing_ and _hilarious...the looks on their faces when I dodged_ every _ball? So priceless_.

Class ended and she waved to Chloe before walking with Kate and the others to the gym's exit. Outside, they were hit by swift gusts of wind as they crossed back to the lockers in the pool building.

"Wow, it wasn't windy like this earlier," Kate said.

Max stumbled a little, her eyes wide.

_Shit_ , she thought.

Then she breathed out slowly, calming herself and recalling what her and Warren had learned from their rewinding experiments in the thankfully long-gone timeline.

_Lesson one: nature abhors time travel...but does so proportionally_ , Max thought, hearing a little of Warren's voice in her mind, _and that means that a small change to the timeline produces a small reaction from nature...while a big change produces a big reaction. The wind might be a coincidence, but I bet nature's just a little unhappy with me for cheating at dodgeball. No town-destroying tornado though...not over a few dodged balls. Unless of course one of those was supposed to make me fall and break my leg or something. But hey, if nature is actually_ super _pissed about this, I'll just photo jump and fix it_.

Max turned to Kate and said, "probably nature's reaction to my badass dodgeball dodging."

"That _was_ pretty amazing, Max," Kate said, "it was like you knew exactly where they were going to throw!"

"I guess I got into a groove," Max said.

Max heard rapid footsteps behind them and braced herself; moments later, hands descended on her shoulders and Kate jumped.

"Hi, Chloe," Max said.

"Aw crap, how did you know?" Chloe said, moving to walk beside Max.

"I am re-learning your ways," Max said.

They stopped outside of the locker room.

"Chloe, would you like to come to lunch with us?" Kate said.

"Sure! Kate, you are seriously the nicest person ever," Chloe said, "where are we going?"

"Hmm...I don't remember," Max said, looking at Kate.

"Bean Hip Cafe. It's right down the street," Kate said.

"Ha, sounds like a Max pick," Chloe said.

Kate giggled and said, "it was."

Max crossed her arms and said, "I picked it because it's within walking distance of Blackwell."

"And?" Chloe said.

Max sighed and said, "and because they play indie music and have really good coffee."

"Do they have a poetry reading night? And vegan baked goods? Ooh, and handmade scarves for sale?" Chloe said.

"Er, yeah, Tuesday is poetry ni...hey, wait a second," Max said, "I am _not_ that much of a hipster."

"I don't know, Max," Chloe said, "I can easily picture you as a beat poet."

"Ugh, that's not the first time you've said that," Max said, "and can you seriously imagine me getting up to perform? On a stage? In front of _real_ people?"

"You performed a few skits in front of an audience when we were kids," Chloe said.

"Yeah, the audience was you, the Captain, and a snowglobe with googly eyes glued on," Max said.

Kate began laughing so hard that she lowered herself to the ground.

"Googly eyes," she said in between laughs.

"Dude, you killed Kate," Chloe said...and then immediately grimaced and mouthed, "shit."

Max winced. She looked down at Kate, who was still laughing uproariously.

_I killed Kate...would I have thought that? If I hadn't talked her down from that rooftop...if I'd said the wrong thing and she'd jumped...would I have blamed myself?_ _Would I have felt that_ I _killed her?_ She recalled standing on the lawn below, watching as Kate plummeted to the ground...and then trying again and again to rewind until she'd stopped time entirely. _No_ , Max thought, _I think I would have blamed myself if I hadn't_ tried _. It would've been hard...very hard...if I'd failed. But it's all moot...erased...gone forever. I'm the only one who remembers it now._

Max looked back up at Chloe and smiled to reassure her.

"Clearly we need a subject change," Chloe said, "otherwise Kate will laugh out a lung...or Max here might go one hundred percent hipster," Chloe said. She shrugged at Max.

"Chloe...how...did you like...the dodgeball game?" Kate said, beginning to calm her laughter and rising back to her feet with Max's help.

"It was fuckin' awesome," Chloe said, "I kinda wish it was a real sport...televised, you know. Olympics and shit. And of course I didn't mind watching Max here in her tiny gym shorts, running and jumping and twisting like a badass. Super hot."

Max and Kate both blushed.

"Dork," Max said.

"Okay, before your faces light on fire, I'm going to go chill over there...if Wells got upset that I was in the cafeteria, he'd have a hernia if he found out I was in the locker room," Chloe said.

"Probably," Max said with a lopsided smile.

**. . . . .**

All along the walk to the Bean Hip Cafe, Kate and Chloe recounted Max's 'Epic Badass Dodgeball Blowout,' as Chloe had taken to calling it.

"I'm beginning to think that I should play professionally," Max said.

"And we'd be the first members of your fan club," Kate said.

They stepped into the cafe and Chloe smirked.

"Yep...totally hipster paradise in here," she said.

Max hit Chloe with her elbow, trying and failing not to smile.

They placed their orders at the counter and selected a table, Kate carrying a cup of tea, Chloe carrying an orange juice ("it's, like, fancy orange juice," Chloe said), and Max without her coffee yet.

"Forty minutes for your coffee?" Chloe said.

"No! It's Arcadia Bay, not Capitol Hill," Max said. She received quizzical looks and continued, "in Seattle."

"Oh," both Kate and Chloe said.

"Max C.!" came a voice from the counter.

Max hopped up, retrieved her coffee, and returned.

"See," Max said, " _way_ less than 40 minutes."

"I bet it tastes like hipster coffee," Chloe said.

Max took a sip and handed it over to Chloe. Chloe took a sip and exaggerated a grimace.

"Yep," she said, "some organic fair trade shit goin' on here."

"Oh, shut up," Max said, nudging Chloe with her elbow again.

Max looked over at Kate, who was smiling shyly at them.

Chloe followed Max's gaze and her lips twisted.

"So," Chloe said, "we should probably address the um...elephant in the room."

"Sorry?" Kate said.

"Er, we don't _have_ to," Max said, "not now, at least. Maybe later?"

"Gotta do it like a band aid," Chloe said.

"I'm still not...oh, right," Kate said, grasping her tea and staring down at it.

"Right...we're hella gay, you're hella Christian, and it's probably healthier to, you know, talk about it," Chloe said.

Max grimaced and shrunk into her seat.

_This is one conversation I was_ not _looking forward to_ , Max thought, sharing a brief glance with Kate and smiling in what she hoped was a reassuring way, _I have no idea where this is going to go and I don't want to lose Kate! And huh...gay...I'd never really thought about it but I guess I_ am _gay. I'm a lesbian. Or...am I? I did think that Warren was kind of cute...I think. So does that mean I'm...ugh, I've never really thought of myself as_ something _...I'm just Max. And Max loves Chloe. It's so simple...so why is it so complicated?_

She gritted her teeth, quickly squashing a surprising bubble of anger that started to grow inside. She didn't want to be angry...particularly when talking to Kate about this.

Silence stretched out for a moment.

"Er," Chloe said, "sorry...I guess I'm a little more blunt than you guys. It's...ha...from all of those blunts I smoke." She chuckled a little and Kate smiled.

"So...um, Kate...do you…?" Chloe continued.

"Do I believe that two of my best friends are living in horrible sin?" Kate said.

"Yeah, that," Chloe said.

Kate shook her head.

"No, how could I?" Kate said, "not when...it's...it's just...where do I even start?"

"Hey, no pressure, Kate," Chloe said, "judgment-free zone here. Hell, Max here is a permanent judgment-free zone."

Max nodded, thinking, _that's a fair assessment_.

Kate smiled and then took a breath.

"Okay," Kate said, "I guess...a lot has happened over the past few weeks."

"Ha, no kidding," Chloe said.

"So much of it was _so_ bad but...at the same time, it's been...an eye-opening experience," Kate said. She paused, glancing between Max and Chloe. Max nodded in what she hopped was an encouraging way.

Kate took another breath and continued, "I...I'd always lived in a very ordered world...my parents, my aunts and uncles, my church...they all taught me what I was supposed to believe. It...all made sense. It all fit. And, living on the inside of that, I...I always saw people on the outside as...lost...as needing help...as wanting to know what I knew and believe what I believed. I was taught to bring love and truth to...all of those lost people."

She paused again, her hands clutched in her lap.

"And," she continued, "when the adults said all of that, I always took it at face value. I never...I never saw what so many of them were _really_ saying beneath it. It...it was _judgment_ and...it was vicious. I'd never noticed...never understood...until it was all directed at me."

Chloe and Max shared a glance.

"It was like a switch was flipped," Kate continued, "one moment I was part of that family...and then I wasn't. I tried to tell them that something was wrong but they didn't believe me. And then they saw the video and suddenly I was...evil in their eyes. They condemned me. I was...surprised...I was shocked. The things they were doing and saying...it just...it didn't fit anything that I'd been taught about God's love. Where was the love? Where was the listening? Where was the forgiveness? It was just judgment...and so, so harsh. It...it made it...I became so lost and confused...I was in a very dark place."

Max reached across the table and put her hand on Kate's. Kate smiled up at her, tears in her eyes.

"But through all of it," Kate continued, "some people were there for me. You, Max. You were there. My dad was there. My sisters were there. A couple of our teachers...and a few people at my church...quietly. One person...I used to look after her cats when I was little...she snuck cookies to me when no one was looking. But the rest of the church? They turned away...even most of my own family. Even after the truth came out, they still looked down on me. They think that I'm...tainted somehow," Kate said.

Kate took a breath and glanced from side to side. She leaned closer and Chloe and Max leaned in as well.

"So my dad and I," Kate said, her voice low, "we've started going to a different church."

"Er...I'm guessing that's a big deal?" Chloe said.

"For my family, yes, it's a _huge_ deal," Kate said, her eyes wide, "we've been at the same church for a _really_ long time. But my dad...I've never seen him that angry."

"Dude, if I had a kid and a bunch of people were giving her that kind of shit, I'd be knocking heads," Chloe said.

Kate smiled and continued, "I told my dad about you, Max...and you, Chloe, and my other friends and...we realized that if so many people outside of our church were being so much more Christian-like than the people in it, then it wasn't the people _outside_ who were lost. The church we're going to now...it's very different. It's much...happier. It's all about lifting people up, telling them that they're loved, no matter what."

"That sounds more like your kind of place, Kate," Max said.

"It is," Kate said, smiling widely, "and I never realized it until I actually tried it. Oh...and one of the pastors is gay."

"You're messing with us," Chloe said, her eyebrows raised.

"No, it's true," Kate said, "she was the one who first showed us around."

" _She?_ " Chloe said.

"You haven't been to many churches, have you?" Kate said, chuckling.

"Er...no. Most of what I know comes from movies. And most of those are horror movies that this one won't watch," Chloe said, gesturing to Max, who shook her head, eyes wide.

"My dad and I researched a lot of churches between here and home...and...well...seems like a lot of the stereotypes _are_ true for a bunch of churches...but not nearly all of them," Kate said.

"So...you don't think we're going to, you know, burn in hell?" Chloe said.

"I have to admit...I never really bought into the concept of hell," Kate said quietly, "and no. I...I wasn't sure how I felt about it at first...I mean, I'd never really thought about it before. But it's hard to think of something as wrong when you see how beautiful it is right in front of your eyes. How could I ever think that Max is a sinful person when she's one of the kindest, gentlest people that I know?"

Max smiled sheepishly, thinking, _gosh_.

"What about me?" Chloe said with a grin, "I'm pretty much the definition of sinful."

"I don't know, Chloe," Kate said, "you seem like a very sweet person to me. Maybe you're a little like Victoria. You have a hard punk shell but a soft gooey center."

" _Max_ ," Chloe whispered, clearly loud enough for Kate to hear, "she _knows_. How did she find out?"

"It's all your fault for showing your true nature," Max said.

"All _your_ fault for dragging it out of me," Chloe said.

"See," Kate said, "it's beautiful. And the thing is, I feel like my beliefs...they really haven't changed much at all...it's just that everything is under a slightly different light...a brighter light. I'm still reading the same things and doing a lot of the same things."

"Oh, are you still doing the abstinence campaign?" Max said.

"Oh yes," Kate said, "although...I only realized recently that people think that I'm telling them that they're bad people if they aren't abstinent. I...can now see why they thought that. But I really don't want to judge...I just believe that it's better to wait and I want people to know that that's okay. I just want them to know that it's an option."

"I can get behind that," Chloe said.

"You? Abstinent?" Max said, eyebrows raised.

"Oh, _hell_ no," Chloe said, "but telling people that it's _okay_ not to do something? Seems reasonable enough. Just, you know, make sure there's condoms nearby too."

Kate smiled.

Their food arrived moments later: a chicken salad sandwich for Kate, a grilled cheese for Max, and a massive turkey club for Chloe.

After taking a few delicate bites, Kate said, "are you still going to Portland this weekend?"

"Mmm hmm," Chloe managed through a mouthful of sandwich.

"Yeah," Max said, swallowing a bite of her own sandwich, "we're leaving this afternoon!"

"Oh, that's so exciting," Kate said, "what are you going to do?"

"Go to Powell's!" Max said immediately.

"What's that?" Kate said.

"Oh my goodness, Kate, you _have_ to go there," Max said, "it's the world's most amazing bookstore."

"Oh, I will then," Kate said with a grin, "I can't believe I haven't heard of it before."

"Now you know, so there's no excuse," Max said, grinning.

"What else?" Kate said, "romantic dinner?" She giggled.

Max looked over at Chloe, who nodded and gave a thumbs up. Max smiled.

Chloe finished swallowing and said, "planning on getting Max a new outfit too. And scoring some tattoos and b...and other things."

Max rolled her eyes.

"You need a new outfit?" Kate said to Max.

"According to Chloe, yes," Max said, giving a lopsided smile.

"Need to broaden her horizons beyond hipster jeans and t-shirts," Chloe said.

"So she's going to look like _you_?" Kate said, her eyes wide, "now I'm imagining Max with blue hair and...punk clothes." She giggled again.

"I don't think it'll go that far," Max said.

"You never know," Chloe said, "by the end of this trip you might have pink hair, badass boots, and be completely ready to thrash."

"I will acknowledge that it is possible," Max said, "but I think the probability is low."

Chloe grinned and shrugged.

"Where are you staying?" Kate said.

Max furrowed her brow.

"Umm…," she said.

"Oh, right," Chloe said, "shit...that's a good point. Max, is there a place you want to stay?"

"Er, no...I remember staying somewhere nice with my parents downtown one time...but I don't remember what it was called," Max said.

"Hmm...okay, during your last class, I'll find us a place. It'll be hella awesome," Chloe said.

"I trust in Chloe," Max said.

"Well, now that you say that, do you have a credit card?" Chloe said, "I'm pretty sure most hotels don't take a promise of cash. I...promise I won't buy beer or porn with it."

"Yeah," Max said, reaching into her bag and handing her credit card over, "I'll hold you to the no porn promise. My parents will ask a lot of awkward questions. Which reminds me, I should text them that we'll be in Portland."

"Do either of your parents know that you two are...together?" Kate said.

"Ha, my mom figured it out real quick," Chloe said, "and step-David knows too."

Kate looked at Max.

"Er, my parents don't know yet," Max said, shrugging, "I figure that dating-related stuff is probably the type of thing to tell them in person. They already know Chloe though, which is a plus."

"I don't know, they might not recognize me," Chloe said.

"True, _I_ didn't recognize you when I first saw you," Max said.

"You mean when I was getting my ass shot," Chloe said.

"Technically, it wasn't your ass that got shot," Max said.

They continued to chat over their sandwiches, walking back to Blackwell together after they finished. Once they arrived, Kate went to her next class while Chloe followed Max into the music lab and snuck to the back of the room.

_If Chloe does her promised punkification here, it will be one_ hell _of an interesting class_ , Max thought.

**. . . . .**

Max's face hurt after so much laughing during Music Lab. She walked down the hall towards her last class of the day, replaying Chloe's antics in her head. Fortunately, the Music Lab instructor had taken Chloe's interference in stride; he'd even suggested that she come back as a guest lecturer.

_I'm sure Wells would_ love _that_ , Max thought, chuckling.

Chloe had left to pack and book their rooms. And with their departure time fast approaching, Max found herself getting more and more excited to get away.

She could barely pay attention during her Cultural Anthropology class. Her mind wandered to daydreams of her and Chloe walking the streets of Portland, taking photos, eating at food trucks, exploring Powell's...she kept smiling and glancing at the time on her phone.

2:38

_Ugh_ , Max thought, glancing up at the teacher's scratchy handwriting on the board, _I just want to be gone from here._

Normally, Cultural Anthropology held her attention fairly well...but this wasn't a normal Friday afternoon. She looked at her phone again.

2:41

_Shit, I am never going to last_ , she thought.

Max saw her phone light up and glanced down again...texts from Chloe:

**Chloe** : yo g imma packing  
**Chloe** : 2 pair o socks  
**Chloe** : just 2  
**Chloe** : ok 3  
**Chloe** : im paranoid now  
**Chloe** : of puddles  
**Chloe** : ur fault

_Okay_ , Max thought, _between Chloe's texts and daydreaming, maybe_ _I_ can _make it through the rest of this class...eventually I'll learn patience...maybe_.

She glanced down at her phone again to see that more texts had arrived:

**Chloe** : packed extra underwear  
**Chloe** : ooh la la  
**Chloe** : still need my frosty undies back  
**Chloe** : unless u want  
**Chloe** : u can keep

Max rolled her eyes and smiled. Several minutes passed before her phone lit up again:

**Chloe** : do you have toothpaste  
**Chloe** : nvrmnd found some

**Chloe** : oh btw  
**Chloe** : i kno ur in class  
**Chloe** : u dont have to answer  
**Chloe** : just feel like texting you

Max reached out, figuring that she could grab the phone and respond to Chloe while keeping it under her desk. However, just as her fingers curled around her phone, the teacher turned to face the class. Max yanked her hand back...unfortunately it was time for a simulated case study...class participation required.

Despite that requirement, Max managed to switch out her class notebook for her journal and caught up on her journalling, glancing up every once in a while to maintain the illusion that she was taking notes for class.

When the case study concluded and the teacher turned back to the board, Max finished the section of her journal she'd been working on and looked at her phone again...3:18 and a bunch of messages from Chloe:

**Chloe** : looking at hotels  
**Chloe** : rlly fancy shit  
**Chloe** : hard to pick

**Chloe** : duuuuude  
**Chloe** : 2 hotels  
**Chloe** : cant pick  
**Chloe** : have to pick  
**Chloe** : both so max  
**Chloe** : but in different ways  
**Chloe** : fuq  
**Chloe** : nvrmnd i picked  
**Chloe** : you are gonna lose ur shit

**Chloe** : booked  
**Chloe** : so awesome

**Chloe** : oh shit  
**Chloe** : need music  
**Chloe** : and snax  
**Chloe** : for the drive  
**Chloe** : first need to finish packing

Max found herself tapping her foot in excitement.

_What would make a hotel very_ me _?_ she thought, _maybe it's right next to a photo gallery? Maybe it's next to Powell's? Maybe it's_ in _Powell's?_

She continued to think about where they might be staying, so caught up in it that she almost didn't notice her phone lighting up again:

**Chloe** : fuck its hard to find bags here  
**Chloe** : i think david took them  
**Chloe** : need to go to store

**Chloe** : im getting pirate booty  
**Chloe** : ill get u trail mix or something  
**Chloe** : hipster food

Max saw that and quickly snatched her phone, holding it under her desk to respond:

**Max** : No! I love Pirate Booty!  
**Chloe** : max!  
**Chloe** : ur there!  
**Chloe** : yea u love pirate booty  
**Chloe** : u love THIS pirates booty  
**Max** : I haven't seen your booty yet  
**Chloe** : oh shit thats true  
**Chloe** : need to fix that  
**Chloe** : i got a nice booty  
**Max** : I believe it; I've seen you in your underwear  
**Chloe** : aha  
**Chloe** : proof u check me out  
**Chloe** : and rumor has it  
**Chloe** : that u have a cute pirate booty  
**Max** : O.o  
**Chloe** : NO EMOJI!  
**Max** : I'd better put my phone away…  
**Chloe** : NO!  
**Chloe** : MAX!  
**Max:** What?  
**Chloe** : oh  
**Chloe** : um  
**Chloe** : butts  
**Max** : Truly, you are a poet. And a butt.  
**Chloe** : UR a butt  
**Max** : I'm having flashbacks to elementary school  
**Chloe** : i kno u r but wat am i  
**Max** : Okay now I do have to put my phone away; teacher's paying attention to the class again.  
**Max** : Don't want to rewind  
**Chloe** : ok if i keep texting  
**Chloe** : ?  
**Max** : Yeah! It's keeping me sane  
**Chloe** : awesomesauce

Max quickly put her phone back on her desk; the teacher was now turning back and forth between the board and the class, asking questions with each point he added to the board. Max nearly grabbed her phone to check it again...but the teacher noticed Taylor texting. He seized her phone and angrily lectured the class on rudeness, implying quite forcefully that he found their entire generation to be rude and entitled.

_Shit_ , Max thought, _rewind or not, I do_ not _want to be faced with that…and wow, way to be a massive jerk about it too...I like my generation, thank you very much._

And so Max kept her hands away from her phone and settled into her wallflower zone, watching and listening to the class...and letting her mind wander. She thought of Portland, of course...but also found herself thinking about what Chloe would be like as a case study for this class. And then her mind wandered to darker places: she started wondering about what Prescott's plans might be...and she worried about the creepster. As her thoughts turned to the possibility that Prescott might know about her powers, she fought her way back to more pleasant thoughts.

_Worrying is paying interest on a debt you don't owe_ , Max thought, unable to remember where she'd heard that, _so worrying about this isn't going to get me anywhere but straight to Anxietyville. And we're going to be completely away from all of that crap this weekend...Chloe and I just need to be careful and keep our eyes and ears open._

When the teacher finally turned back to the board to write a lengthy set of notes, Max grabbed her phone. It was now 3:49 and Chloe was actively sending messages. Max snuck the phone under the desk again to read and respond:

**Chloe** : going to the store

**Chloe** : got pirate booty and fruit snacks  
**Chloe** : dude...choc covered pretzles  
**Chloe** : couldnt bring myself to get trail mix  
**Chloe** : sorry

**Chloe** : packed cds  
**Chloe** : gonna thrash in the hotel room!  
**Chloe** : and whatever you do with your music  
**Chloe** : reflect on the meaning of life?  
**Chloe** : contemplate the clouds?  
**Chloe** : seek enlightnemnet in trees?  
**Max** : Just chill, really.  
**Chloe** : yo g!  
**Chloe** : so  
**Chloe** : plan is...  
**Chloe** : thrash it out  
**Chloe** : then chill  
**Chloe** : repeat  
**Max** : Sounds good to me! :D  
**Chloe** : ugggggggghhhhhhh

A few minutes passed before the phone lit up again and Max glanced down:

**Chloe** : okay  
**Chloe** : everything packed  
**Chloe** : going to come to blackwell  
**Chloe** : and chill out

Max checked the time: 3:57. She could barely believe she'd made it. Her foot was gently tapping on the ground again and if it hadn't been for the focus required to switch her attention between her phone, the chalkboard, her notebook, and her journal (plus all of the daydreaming), she wondered if she would've simply stood up and walked out of class.

_Chloe used to do it_ , Max thought, _but then again...Chloe got expelled. So yeah, not a good plan_.

Her phone lit up again:

**Chloe** : shit  
**Chloe** : forgot something  
**Chloe** : going back home  
**Chloe** : might be late  
**Chloe** : dont hate me

Max smiled and responded:

**Max** : Don't worry, I won't hate you.  
**Max** : I'll have an excuse to stand around and daydream  
**Chloe** : ooh nice  
**Chloe** : or youll just keep packing  
**Max** : Yeah...that

The bell rang moments later and Max gathered her things, walking quickly out of the classroom and towards the dorms. Within a couple of minutes she had her small suitcase open on the floor and the clothes she'd picked out earlier neatly stacked inside. She grabbed her travel bag of toiletries from the table where Chloe had left it, checking carefully to make sure everything was there. She added in her eyeshadow, her large non-travel toothpaste ( _in case Chloe forgot_ , Max thought), and face wash before carefully placing the bag into the suitcase.

A knock sounded at her door and she opened it to find Warren on the other side.

"Hey, Warren, what's up?" Max said, motioning him in and closing the door.

"I...um...got a text from Chloe asking that I come find you and...," he said, scratching the back of his neck, "um...make sure you're not packing your entire room?"

Max smiled and rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but another knock, softer, sounded at the door.

She opened the door to find Kate.

"Let me guess," Max said, "Chloe texted you?"

"Yeah," Kate said, smiling, "she seemed to think you might need help packing!"

Max motioned her in.

"Oh hi, Warren," Kate said, "are you helping Max pack?"

"I guess?" Warren said, "I feel like we've been tricked into an inside joke here."

"Yeah, pretty much," Max said, grabbing a pair of sneakers, "Chloe thinks that if left to my own devices, I'll be packing until sunset."

"Okay then...well...do you have stuff for each day?" Warren said, "like, socks and...underwear and stuff?"

"Yep," Max said.

"With extras, just in case?" Kate said.

"Yep," Max said, grinning at Kate.

"You got, like, travel toothpaste and stuff?" Warren said.

"Yep, just packed that," Max said.

"Anything to read?" Kate said.

"Um...no...but we'll probably go to Powell's pretty early," Max said, "besides, I don't think we'll be doing much...um...hmm...no matter how I say that, it's not going to come out the way I want it to."

Warren and Kate both smiled awkwardly. Warren's phone buzzed and he glanced at it. His eyes went wide momentarily and then he chuckled; Max noticed that his face had reddened slightly.

"Oh no, what now?" Max said, grabbing her own phone.

"Nothing, nothing," Warren said.

Max typed into her phone:

**Max** : Chloe Elizabeth Price  
**Max** : How dare you sick Warren and Kate on me?  
**Max** : I am packing just fine  
**Max** :  >.<  
**Chloe** : who? me?  
**Chloe** : im shocked  
**Chloe** : shocked at the accusation  
**Max** : J'accuse!  
**Chloe** : merde  
**Chloe** : on my way soon  
**Chloe** : be ready!

Max smiled and put her phone aside.

"Okay," she said, "I just need to figure out what I might be missing."

Kate's phone chirped and she looked at it.

"Oh, um...I guess Warren and I are supposed to...get you moving," Kate said.

"What if I forgot something?" Max said, gesturing at her suitcase.

"If you forgot something, you can probably just buy it in Portland," Warren said.

Kate nodded.

"Oh, yeah, I guess that's true," Max said, "alright...let me just check my other bag first and then we'll go."

She dug through her messenger bag to check that her camera, journal, and emergency photos were all there. Nodding to herself, she zipped up her suitcase and hefted her messenger bag onto her shoulder.

"Alright, you can tell Chloe that you accomplished your mission," Max said, "this is the fastest I've ever packed _anything_."

"I don't feel like we did much," Kate said, shrugging.

"Let's not tell Chloe that," Warren said.

They made their way to the front of the school, stopping at the fountain to wait for Chloe.

"When is Chloe going to get here?" Kate said, sitting down on the fountain ledge.

"Probably any minute," Max said, checking her phone.

Warren sat down next to Kate and said, "what are you going to do in Portland besides visiting Powell's?"

"Um, I'm not sure yet," Max said, "I think we're going to hang out, explore, eat good food...I think Chloe wants to get a tattoo."

"Are _you_ going to get a tattoo?" Kate said, her eyes wide.

"Er...maybe?" Max said, "Chloe and I sort of planned one out. But...I don't know...it's hard for me to imagine _me_ getting a tattoo...but then again, the last few weeks have been filled with things I couldn't have imagined."

Kate and Warren nodded solemnly.

_They don't know the half of it_ , Max thought, _at least I'll be telling Warren at some point...still not sure about Kate. It might be a bit too much strangeness in her life right now_.

A familiar rumbling crescendoed from the road and Max turned to see Chloe's truck arrive at the curb.

Chloe leaned over and called out the window, "Max, let's go! Portland! Truck! Adventure!"

"Okay!" Max called back.

She turned back to Warren and Kate with a grin.

"Max, get going," Kate said, "you can talk to us when you get back."

"Yeah, Max," Warren said, "Chloe's about to come over here and I do not want to get on her bad side for interfering with your 'epic weekend lovefest.'"

"Our _what_?" Max said, blushing. Kate giggled.

Warren raised his hands.

"Chloe's words, not mine," he said, pointing at his phone.

His eyes widened.

"Uh oh, here she comes," he said.

He stood and grabbed Max by the shoulders, spinning her around. Both he and Kate began pushing her towards the approaching Chloe, who sauntered towards them with an impish grin on her face that quickly turned to a pout.

"Oh, come on," Chloe said, "I was trying to sneak up."

"Looks like this backfired, Warren," Kate said.

"Yes, and that means it's time to exercise the better part of valor," Warren said.

"Be discreet?" Kate asked, her brow furrowed.

"No," Warren said, "retreat."

They both stepped back from Max, who flailed her arms and nearly fell backwards before they steadied her.

"Bye, Max. Bye, Chloe," Warren said, stepping away, "have fun and bring Brooke and I some donuts!"

"Bye, Warren!" Max and Chloe said.

Kate remained, pulling Max's small suitcase over and handing it to Max.

"Thanks, Kate," Max said.

"You're welcome," Kate said with a smile.

"Dude," Chloe said, "you're bringing a _suitcase_?"

"It's small," Max said.

"But we're only going to be there til Sunday," Chloe said.

"Yeah, but this keeps everything neat," Max said, "well...at least until I open it. Where did you put your stuff?"

"Grocery bags," Chloe said, grinning.

"Ah, sounds about right," Max said with a smile.

"Chloe, if you want a bag or a suitcase," Kate said, "I have a couple in my room that you could borrow."

"Thanks, Kate, I'm okay," Chloe said, "it's how I roll. Besides, it's just two days."

"Do you have a bag for your toiletries?" Kate asked.

"Yep, a plastic grocery one," Chloe said.

"Oh," Kate said, "well if you ever need a toiletries bag, just let me know."

"You can also use mine," Max said, "I have extra room. They always make them for people who use way more stuff than I do."

"Again: two...days...," Chloe said, "but I've learned something today."

"A better packing paradigm?" Max said.

"That you can borrow anything you need from your friends?" Kate said.

"No," Chloe said, "well, yeah, I guess. But what I was going for was: when Max and I get an RV someday, _Max_ will be the one to handle organization."

"Dude, I am _barely_ better than you at keeping things in a state that resembles sanity," Max said.

"Yeah, but when we're off adventuring, that little bit will count," Chloe said, ruffling Max's hair, "besides, give yourself credit, you're _way_ better at it."

Kate, her face lit by a huge smile, said, "you're going to get an RV? And go on adventures? That is so amazing! You'll have so much fun!"

"Kate," Chloe said, putting an arm around Kate's shoulders, "if you ever want to come on an RV adventure with us, you are welcome to do so."

"Thanks," Kate said, smiling sheepishly.

"No problem," Chloe said, turning to Max, "finally ready to go, hippie?"

"Let's do it!" Max said.

"Not in public, Max," Chloe said, "and not in front of Kate."

Kate blushed furiously and Max slapped a hand to her forehead while Chloe laughed.

"Sorry," Chloe said, "that was just too perfect."

Kate smiled and shared an eye roll with Max.

"Bye Kate, have a good weekend," Max said, giving Kate a hug.

"You too, Max," Kate said.

"Stay classy," Chloe said to Kate.

"Bye Chloe, have fun," Kate said.

Kate walked away towards the dorms and Max and Chloe walked to the truck, Chloe's arm around Max's shoulders.

"Alright, Mad Max, we're going on our first road adventure," Chloe said, "and by the way, I fully expect you to drive for part of this. I ain't driving the whole way."

"Er...okay," Max said.

"Don't worry," Chloe said, "Beta Max drove this beast a bunch while I was popping painkillers. You'll do fine."

They reached the truck and Max hefted her suitcase into the back.

"Think Mulder and Scully will follow us to Portland?" Chloe said, glancing at the familiar grey car idling down the street.

"No," Max said, "er...unless something's changed. After all, they're only _supposed_ to be watching us here in Arcadia Bay. I'm sure they'll tell Prescott where we're off to and they'll probably be waiting to stalk us again when we get back. Also, we do know their real names now."

"True, but I still like calling them Mulder and Scully," Chloe said, "and as for the why...do you still think Vicky C.'s theory holds water?"

"I am _so_ glad she hasn't heard you call her that yet," Max said, "and I don't know...the idea that they're trying to find something to discredit us? To boost Nathan's chances of getting out? I guess it's a decent theory but it seems...incomplete. There always seems to be something else going on…"

"Yeah, no kidding," Chloe said.

Chloe was about to get in the truck when Max waved her over.

"One photo?" Max said.

"Sure!" Chloe said.

They stood in front of the truck and Max pointed her camera at them, snapping a picture. She grabbed the printed photo and shook it, saying, "well, at least we won't have to worry about the Prescott crap in Portland."

"Yet another part of this to look forward to," Chloe said, "two whole days away from Arcadia Bay! This is going to be incredible."

"That's because it's with you," Max said, standing on her tiptoes and kissing Chloe gently on the lips and then on the nose.

"You're such a dork," Chloe said, kissing Max's forehead.

"Me? You're the one who's calling this an 'epic weekend lovefest'," Max said, grinning and hopping into the truck.

"Guilty as charged, Saxy Maxy," Chloe said.

She hopped into the driver's seat, raised a surreptitious middle finger to the grey car behind them, and started the drive towards the edge of town.


	14. To Portland!

As expected, the grey car peeled off from behind them once they reached the edge of town.

"Sweet," Chloe said, "finally free of the Prescott umbrella...and free from Arcadia Bay."

"When...was the last time you left?" Max said.

"Wow...shit, it's been ages...at least a year. Even with the truck I never got out much," Chloe said, "and before I had this hunk of junk, I had to walk everywhere if I didn't want to bum a ride off of my mom...or take the bus...or shit, I almost forgot, I had to have David drive me a couple of times...glad those days are over. Hell, I walked out this way for an hour to see a kick ass concert one time."

"Wait, what?" Max said, "out  _ here _ ? There aren't any venues out here."

"No official ones, yeah," Chloe said, grinning. She seemed about to continue but closed her mouth, a sad smile on her face.

"What's up?" Max said, reaching across and putting a hand on Chloe's leg.

"Oh, just old memories. Some good, some bad," Chloe said, "time to make new ones."

_ If she wants to talk about it _ , Max thought,  _ she will.  _ She's  _ not the one who needs her thoughts dragged, kicking and screaming, into the open… _

"Okay," Max said, smiling, "just remember that you can tell me anything...whenever."

"I know," Chloe said, smiling back, "so...Portland!"

"Fuck yes," Max said, leaning back into the seat.

As they drove along between towering evergreens and put more distance between themselves and Arcadia Bay, Max finally felt as if she could fully relax. Weight seemed to lift from her shoulders and she felt a smile naturally settling onto her face. She felt almost giddy and, looking at Chloe's serene expression, it was clear that Chloe felt the same.

_ This isn't exactly what she's been looking forward to all these years _ , Max thought,  _ but it's a taste of it...it's a start. She always wanted to get away and have adventures with  _ me _...and then I left without her. And then she wanted to leave with Rachel; it was their dream...their goal. And then Rachel...didn't make it. And now? Chloe finally gets to take an adventure out of Arcadia Bay with me. This is a big deal for me but it must be a way bigger deal for her. _

Max quietly grabbed her camera and pointed it at Chloe. She took in Chloe's gentle smile and the softness of her eyes...her head propped up lazily with her left arm; her right hand holding the steering wheel almost gracefully at the top.

_ This is the kind of moment I  _ live  _ to capture _ , Max thought,  _ and when it's Chloe, that makes it even better _ .

Max snapped the photo.

"Shit, is that an embarrassing shot of me zoning out?" Chloe said, grinning.

"Not at all," Max said, "you look so relaxed and so peaceful. I...figured that it's because you're finally getting a piece of what you've wanted for so many years."

"What's that?" Chloe said.

"To get the hell out of Arcadia Bay," Max said, "with your best friend in the passenger seat."

"Yeah," Chloe said, "it's true."

Max saw the sad smile again and felt it reflected in her own face.

"I...wish she could be here too," Max said.

Chloe paused for a moment, her expression worried, before saying, "you don't think that's...awkward?" Chloe said.

"No," Max said, "I know you had a huge crush on her," she put a hand on Chloe's leg again, "but she was your best friend and she saved your life after I left...for that alone, there's no way I wouldn't have been friends with her. Although...I don't know how you would've picked  _ me  _ over her."

"Max, don't you dare put yourself down," Chloe said, "you know I'm all about that Max. You're Max fucking Caulfield. You and I were pirates together. We have this...thing...this connection. I feel like it's always been there."

"But she was so beautiful and talented," Max said.

"Dude, so are you," Chloe said, "which...oh shit, what if she stole  _ you _ away from  _ me _ !"

Max laughed.

"No way, Chloe!" Max said.

"Well, then now you know how I feel...at least a little," Chloe said, "Rachel was amazing...one of the most amazing people I've ever met. Her and I  _ did _ have something special...but  _ you _ and I? That's something beyond special."

"What do you think she'd say if she heard us right now?" Max said.

"Dude, I think she'd be laughing right along with us," Chloe said, "making fun of us in ways that would have _us_ laughing. She'd be helping us plan out this trip...and she would've made it even more awesome. Example: I looked to see if there were any concerts or shows for us to go to...punk, indie, whatever. Nothing looked good. But _she_ would've found something...I guarantee it. Also, she'd know that we'd be crushing on her and yes, Max Caulfield, you would've had a crush on her...even if you didn't know it. And she would've rolled with it. She would've flirted with us like crazy and, somehow, she'd get you and me crushing on _each other_ even more."

"Sounds like  _ she  _ had super powers," Max said, shaking her head.

"Ha, sometimes I wondered," Chloe said.

She paused.

"I...really like to think that the doe you keep seeing is her," Chloe said, "it...makes it feel like she's not really gone."

"I like to think that too," Max said.

Chloe dropped her right hand to the seat and Max reached over and held it, scooting closer.

"Dude, you're adorable," Chloe said.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Max said.

They fell into another comfortable silence, lost in their own thoughts.

**. . . . .**

After about an hour on the road, Chloe pulled off to the side.

"Wow, I am not used to driving for more than, like, fifteen minutes," Chloe said, stretching, "I think it's your turn."

"Okay," Max said slowly, "and you're sure that past me actually managed to do this?"

"Yeah, and she did it by herself, too," Chloe said, hopping out of the truck and letting Max scoot over to the driver's seat.

"Okay," Chloe continued, leaning through the window, "that's the accelerator pedal, that's the brake, this is the steering wheel…"

"Chloe, I've driven a car before," Max said, nudging Chloe's arm with her elbow.

"I know. Just wanted to give you a hard time," Chloe said before walking to the passenger side.

"Want some Pirate Booty?" Chloe continued after she got back in.

"Sure," Max said with a grin.

Chloe opened the bag, spilling several pieces onto the floor, despite Max's attempt to catch them.

"It's okay," Chloe said, "every spilled drink, piece of trash, and smashed piece of food just adds more personality to the old girl."

Max rolled her eyes, picking up the pieces nearest her and putting them into a small bag.

"Besides," Chloe continued, in her pirate voice, "ye can't be a good scallywag if y' aren't tossing yer pirate booty all over yer ship!"

"But Cap'n Bluebeard," Max said in her own pirate voice, "what if ye get yer pirate booty stuck in a cannon?"

"Ye'll just have t' blast me off," Chloe said, cackling.

"I feel as if I just walked into a joke I don't understand," Max said, returning to her normal voice.

"Arrr, that ye did, Long Max Silver, that ye did," Chloe said, tossing some Pirate Booty into her mouth.

They munched for a few minutes before Max started the truck up and slowly...very slowly...pulled out onto the road. They cruised along lazily for about a mile before Chloe insisted that Max speed up.

Max became comfortable with the truck faster than she thought she would and her anxieties drifted away. It helped that there were so few cars on the road with them. She glanced over at Chloe, whose eyes were half closed. A lazy smile lit her face and the sight made Max smile.

_ She looks so...contented _ , Max thought.

She glanced back and forth between the road and Chloe, her heart seeming to fill a little more each time she looked at Chloe's face

_ I love her _ , Max thought,  _ I love her  _ so _ much and I haven't told her yet. _

She glanced over again and this time Chloe glanced back, her eyes bright.

"You checking me out, Caulfield?" Chloe said.

"You  _ are  _ beautiful, Chloe," Max said.

"Ah, so you  _ were  _ checking me out," Chloe said, grinning.

"It's true," Max said, a slight tremor in her voice.

_ Oh shit _ , Max thought,  _ I'm going to say it, aren't I? _ The thought sent butterflies through her stomach.

"You're more than just beautiful on the outside, Chloe," Max said, "you're...just... _ entirely _ beautiful."

"I don't know, G," Chloe said, a lopsided smile on her face, "I have expert testimony and records that show otherwise."

"In...in this case I'll trust my own expertise...I stand by what I said," Max said, smiling. She couldn't hide a tiny twitch in her smile.

"Max…," Chloe said, narrowing her eyes and smiling mischievously, "you seem...nervous."

"I...um...I do?" Max said.

"Like an otter in the water with a shark," Chloe said, leaning over.

Max looked over at Chloe, her mouth open slightly.

_ This is what I get for having a best friend...a  _ girlfriend _...that is way better at human interaction than I am _ , Max thought, looking back to the road,  _ she probably knows  _ exactly  _ what I'm thinking _ .

"Whatever it is," Chloe said, leaning back and putting her feet up on the dashboard, "you can tell me. I promise I won't bite. Until then, I'll just wait."

She smiled at Max and Max cringed.

_ Just do it _ , Max thought,  _ you love her...she obviously knows it...so just tell her: I love you. I...love you. I love...you. I love her. I love Chloe. Easy...right? _

As she repeated it in her head, an involuntary smile twitched onto her lips.

_ I must look like a complete doofus _ , Max thought, grimacing slightly,  _ okay...it doesn't matter. It's  _ Chloe  _ we're talking about here. I can do this: I love you. I love you. _

"Chloe, I...um," Max started.

"Yes, Max?" Chloe said, grinning.

Max couldn't help but grin back...the involuntary and completely goofy grin she'd just tried to suppress.

"Shit," Max said.

"Hmm, not what I was expecting," Chloe said.

"Chloe, I love you," Max said, squeezing her eyes nearly shut.

Chloe laughed loudly and Max hazarded a look: Chloe's eyes had tears in them and a smile stretched across her face.

"I love you," Max said again, looking into Chloe's eyes.

"I know," Chloe said, chuckling.

A pause.

"I can't believe you just said that," Max said, eyes flicking back to the road.

_ Maybe it wasn't a good idea to do this while driving _ , Max thought.

"How could I resist?" Chloe said, shrugging, "and it's true, I totally did know. Funny story, too. But...oh right...Max," she rested a hand on Max's leg, "I love you too. Like, so much. Hella love."

"I...really?" Max said, a huge smile on her face.

"Yeah, really," Chloe said, "and you should pull over."

"Um, okay," Max said, flicking the turn signal and pulling off the road.

As soon as they stopped, Chloe said, "put it in park."

As soon as Max did so, Chloe crawled over and straddled Max.

Before Max could say anything, Chloe began to kiss her. Max's thoughts melted away under the intensity of it. Chloe gripped Max's hair tightly and Max clawed at Chloe's back. Every time Chloe came up for air, Max breathlessly said, "I love you" or "I love you so much" and, each time, Chloe responded in kind before pressing her lips to Max's again.

After what seemed like an eternity that Max would've been perfectly happy to continue, Chloe pulled away and twisted back over to the passenger side. She smiled at Max.

"Okay, Maxaroni," she said casually, "we can continue to Portland now."

Max sat frozen, staring at Chloe with her mouth open.

As her mind began to work again, she thought,  _ wowser,  _ everything  _ about that was fucking amazing _ .

"Well, shit," Chloe said, "I broke G-Max again. Good thing I know how to fix her."

She leaned back over to Max and kissed her softly, gently tugging on her lower lip. Max blinked a few times and smiled.

"Wowser," Max said, grinning at Chloe, "now I think I should've told you that way earlier."

"Well, you kind of did," Chloe said, putting her hands behind her head, "so I've known...ready for it?  _ This whole time _ ."

"If I could have a word with Beta Max…," Max said.

"Then you could tell her thanks for me for giving me a leg up," Chloe said, grinning.

"Well...at least I had an inkling that you felt the same," Max said, smiling slyly.

Chloe's grin vanished.

"Wait, what?" she said.

"Oh...just something about...what was it? Oh yeah: 'how to say I love you' in your search history?" Max said.

"Aw, mother _ fucker _ ," Chloe said, "Beta Max wrote that down?"

"Yep," Max said, "it seems that all versions of me are very thorough in journaling...er...at least with the important stuff. And, um,  _ after _ all of the time travel shit started."

"Understandable," Chloe said.

They sat for a moment, staring at each other, small smiles on their faces.

"So…," Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said, grinning.

"Dude, this is so fucking insane," Chloe said, shaking her head and then, upon seeing Max's concerned expression, said, "...in a good way. A  _ really  _ good way. Oh, and we can totally get back on the road again...I'll just jump you again later."

"I sure hope so," Max said, "but first…"

Max leaned over and grabbed her camera out of her bag. Chloe grinned and scooted over; Max took a selfie of them both.

"Advantage to dating a photographer: you always get awesome pictures of the important stuff," Chloe said, chuckling.

Max nodded in agreement and took a photo of the road outside, flanked by forest and framed with the truck's windshield.

"You can safely bet that there will be an epic photo album," Max said.

"Oh, I believe it," Chloe said.

Max put the camera away and stole a quick surprise kiss from Chloe before putting the truck back in drive and pulling out onto the road.

**. . . . .**

The trees around them began giving way to farmland. For reasons that Max couldn't understand, Chloe took several pictures of cows with her phone, giggling a little each time. The sound made Max think fondly of thirteen-year-old Chloe, pirate hat on her head and scrounged empty rum bottle in her hand.

"Um...is there something I should know about the cows?" Max said.

"Oh...I just think cows are funny," Chloe said.

"I love how crazy you are," Max said.

"Yep; insane in the brain," Chloe said.

They passed by a small town and Max said, "um...I know we're not exactly close to Portland yet but I don't really know where we're going."

"Oh shit, right," Chloe said, tapping at her phone.

"Okay," she continued, "just keep following this road; it'll turn into another road heading east."

"Okay," Max said, "then what?"

"Then it goes right into Portland," Chloe said, "and you take the Market Street exit."

"Market Street; got it," Max said, "are we going straight to the hotel?"

"Oh yes," Chloe said, "our dinner reservation isn't until later because holy shit this hotel."

"You have me  _ so _ curious now," Max said.

"You'll just have to wait," Chloe said.

"Well now I have to try to figure it out," Max said, "you said there were two options and both were, and I quote, 'so Max'...which means either hipster, nerdy, or something to do with photography. I somehow can't see a photography hotel or a nerdy hotel...so I'm guessing hipster."

"I ain't talking so keep guessing, hippie," Chloe said.

"Okay...hmm...despite everything you say, you know that I'm not a crazy stereotypical hipster so it probably isn't...I don't know...a craft beer hall hotel or something," Max said.

"Damn, you think those exist somewhere? That would be awesome...I'd never leave," Chloe said, her eyes wide.

"Yuck," Max said.

"Come on, Max, you  _ know _ that a craft beer hall would have hella photo ops," Chloe said.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Max said, "as long as I don't have to drink anything."

"Did you like the wine from our date?" Chloe said. Max could hear a slight note of pleading in Chloe's voice.

_ She seems so confident all the time _ , Max thought, glancing over,  _ but...I think she still has that worry that she's going to get left behind again. And there's no way I would ever judge her for that...she's been abandoned  _ so _ many times. If there's one thing I'm going to make sure to do...for the rest of my life...it's reminding her over and over that I'll always be there for her. Although...it might be a bit much if I just blurt that out right now...it would probably sound like I'm about to pop the question...totally not ready to talk about  _ that  _ yet. Anyways, I  _ totally _ liked the wine. _

"Yeah, actually, I loved that wine," Max said.

"Well, there you go," Chloe said, her shoulders relaxing, "I get smashed on beer, you get tipsy on wine."

"You have the best solutions, Chloe," Max said, "and you know that if you crashed a beer hall, I'd be there with you. I'll always be with you."

Max reached over and squeezed Chloe's hand; Chloe smiled softly.

"Anyways," Max said, "I think you're trying to distract me on this hotel thing...now I'm thinking it might be some kind of old school hotel...maybe in an old mill or something."

"Ha, you are going to be so surprised," Chloe said, "but stop guessing or you might come up with something more awesome than what it  _ actually _ is and then I'll feel like shit."

"Okay, no more guessing," Max said, "but hey, maybe someday we can open up a craft beer and wine hotel in an old mill or factory."

"Holy shit that's a hella awesome idea!" Chloe said, sitting up straight, "I'd be the official beer tester. We'd put up pirate flags and treasure maps...and we could decorate everything else with your photos. And...dude...we could make part of it a concert hall and throw the most awesome fucking parties."

"I'm...actually kind of liking this idea," Max said, "let's call it Plan...um...what letter are we on?"

"Um...Plan A is travel photographer and bodyguard, right?" Chloe said.

"Yeah? Although weren't you going to do food or beer blogging or something?" Max said.

"Oh right! The whole world would bow to Bluebeard's Beer and Burger Blog...um...tentative name," Chloe said.

Max laughed and said, "somehow, I imagine that you'd gain quite a cult following."

"Is starting a cult somewhere in our list of possible plans?" Chloe said.

"No," Max said, shaking her head, "I don't want to wear white robes and flip flops for the rest of my life."

"Too bad," Chloe said, "our cult would be the  _ shit _ . Hmm...how about a cult where it's about travelling the country in RVs looking for buried treasure?"

"Sure...if we keep it to a cult of two," Max said.

"I can live with that," Chloe said. leaning over and kissing Max's cheek.

"So...um...that was Plan A," Max said, smiling, "does that mean that Plan B was the Victoria-inspired PI gig?"

"Yeah...it still sounds kinda cool...but it seems less glamorous after dealing with Mulder, Scully, and Sparky," Chloe said.

"Sparky?" Max said with a chuckle.

"Yep, that's his name now," Chloe said.

"Okay, so you want to switch up the plan order?" Max said.

"Yeah, Plan A is traveling the world, Plan B is hipster hotel, Plan C is PI, and...um...Plan D is  _ conquering _ the world," Chloe said, "all time travel-assisted, of course."

"I'm not sure I have the temperament for Plan D," Max said.

"We could make it more modest...Plan D: get one of us elected President," Chloe said.

"Yes, modest," Max said.

They were now passing through suburbia and Chloe checked her phone.

"Dude, we're getting pretty close...I'm so fucking excited for this," Chloe said.

"Me too," Max said, grinning and feeling a cascade of pleasant tingles surge from her head to her toes.

"Ha, Max, guess what?" Chloe said, looking at her phone.

"What?" Max said.

"Portland has this metro light rail thing...do you know what it's called?" Chloe said.

"No," Max said.

"MAX...it's called MAX...all caps," Chloe said, smiling widely, "you should totally go and just claim it. Say, 'I'm Max and MAX is mine.'"

"I think you might have better claim to the phrase 'Max is mine,'" Max said.

A pause.

"Max, you are so fucking adorable...it's fucking unbelievable and I love you so damn much," Chloe said.

"I...wow...I love you too, Chloe," Max said, smiling at her.

"Also," Chloe said, "we're in Beaverton."

"Okay…," Max said, looking over at Chloe's smirking face, "er...I feel like I'm missing out on the joke."

"Er...nevermind, I'll explain later," Chloe said.

Moments later they passed by a sign indicating that they'd entered Portland.

"We're in Portland!" Max said.

"Awesomesauce," Chloe said.

"Er...Market Street, right?" Max said.

"Yeah?" Chloe said, lifting her phone, "yeah."

"Then what?" Max said.

"Take the second left," Chloe said.

They soon entered the city proper and Chloe guided Max towards downtown. A few minutes later, Chloe had Max pull over to the curb.

"We're here," Chloe declared.

Max stared up at the old building above...and at the ornate entrance next to them.

"Wow, I'm already loving this," Max said, "um...where should I park?"

"Valet parking," Chloe said, "I know...fancy as fuck, right?"

Chloe gathered her plastic grocery bags and their snacks and hopped out. Max turned off the truck and stepped out, grabbing her suitcase from the back. They approached a young man behind a pedestal on the curb. He looked between them and Chloe's truck, his mouth slightly open and his head tilted.

_ Bet they don't get a lot of people driving something like Chloe's truck _ , Max thought, smiling.

"Yo, what's up?" Chloe said to the man.

"I...I'm doing well, thank you," he said, "are you having a good evening?"

"Oh yes, getting better every minute," Chloe said.

"Checking in?" he said. Max could tell that he was trying very hard to conceal any incredulity as his glance kept slipping to the truck behind them.

"Yep yep," Chloe said, "we have a two night reservation and need to have our truck parked."

Max stepped forward and held out the keys, which the man took gingerly.

Chloe smiled and said, "it's a restoration piece...early stages. So if it gives you any trouble, just let us know."

Max almost laughed out loud: the man visibly relaxed at the phrase "restoration piece."

_ We must seem like  _ total  _ hipsters right now _ , Max thought,  _ and while I'm pretty sure Chloe's doing this intentionally, her reaction would be priceless if she  _ didn't  _ realize how hipster she sounds right now _ .

The man handed the keys over to a valet and motioned them towards the hotel entrance. They stepped inside and Max took in the hip, trendy vibe of the lobby.

_ Well, so far this looks like stereotypically hipster Portland _ , Max thought as they walked to the front desk,  _ maybe Chloe's surprise is something in the room? Okay...stop guessing...it's supposed to be a surprise and Chloe was clearly super excited about it so don't ruin it _ .

As Chloe began the check in process, Max glanced around the lobby, taking in the comfy-looking furniture dotting the area and the classy modern art adorning the walls. She stared over at a far wall, where a set of photographs were displayed. She hoped that the elevators were in that direction so she could get a chance to take a closer peek.

Then she heard the man behind the counter say something about photography and her head snapped around.

"Sorry, what?" Max said.

"Oh, I was just saying that we hope you'll enjoy our extensive photography collection on display throughout the hotel…"

The man went on to describe said collection and Max stood with her mouth open. She glanced over to see Chloe grinning beside her.

He finished and stared at Max.

"Um...ma'am?" he said.

"Oh, it's okay, she's just freaking out," Chloe said, "she's a photographer...a damn good one, too. She had no idea about your photos."

"I see," he said, smiling, "so are you in town for an art tour? Or for school?"

"Nope, we're just totally in love and getting away for the weekend," Chloe said.

Max's mouth snapped shut and she blushed furiously.

"Ah, then you've selected a perfect room," he said, "the junior suites are a favorite among couples looking for a romantic retreat. Now, I just need to see your ID and a credit card."

Chloe pulled out an ID card and handed it over.

"And we'd like to pay in cash, if that's okay," Chloe said.

"Certainly," the man said, "but we will need to have a credit card on file for any incidentals, which can still be paid for with cash at the end of your stay. Do you want to use the credit card we already have on file for you or a different one?"

"Um, same," Chloe said.

"I will need to see that card to confirm," the man said.

Max dug through her bag and produced the card, handing it over.

After getting their keys, Max asked Chloe if they could check out the photos in the lobby before heading up to the room. Chloe chuckled and agreed, following as Max speed-walked over to the far wall, examining the photos carefully and explaining each one effusively to Chloe.

Max concluded and faced Chloe, her face glowing.

"Chloe, I can't believe it," she said, wrapping Chloe in a tight hug, "this is amazing...I could spend  _ hours  _ going through this hotel looking at these...but this weekend is for  _ us _ so I promise I'll just look at a few."

"Yeah, I couldn't believe it when I found this," Chloe said, squeezing Max, "and I'll admit, I was a little worried that I wouldn't see you all weekend...there's, like, several hundred photos here. But I figured I could trust you not to leave me alone in the room."

Max looked up and was glad to see Chloe smiling.

"As tempting as it might be," Max said, " _ you're _ my first priority, Chloe."

"Thanks, Max," Chloe said, burying her face in Max's hair, "also," she continued, her voice muffled, "I think I learned more about photography in the last five minutes than in the last five years."

**. . . . .**

On their way to the room, Max stopped very briefly at each of the photos in the hall along the way; Chloe chuckled almost every time.

When they entered their room, Max stopped in the doorway and said, "wowser."

The spacious room sported a massive bed on one side and a living space on the other. Two large windows looked out over the city and a pair of bathrooms flanked the room.

"Holy shit," Chloe said, "this is hella sweet. Ha, get it...hella suite?"

"Dork," Max said.

Chloe dropped most of her bags beside the bed and put the bag with the snacks on a table in front of the couch. Max opened the closet to find a luggage rack, which she put her suitcase on. She walked over to the nearest window as Chloe "unpacked" her plastic bags. Chloe swore each time she couldn't find something...and then swore again when she  _ did _ find what she was looking for. Max smiled.

She turned and stared out the window, watching cars roll by on the street below.

_ I wonder if this is what our future looks like? _ Max thought,  _ Chloe and I using my powers to get a little economic boost...then using said boost to travel and live out of hotels all over the world? And when we aren't doing that...we'd be living out of an RV? Either way, we'd be eating at all kinds of amazing restaurants, visiting museums and bookstores, tattoo parlors and concerts...taking photos everywhere. Writing, blogging...making love? _ She glanced over at Chloe, who held up two shirts, glancing between them with her brow furrowed,  _ I...think that future sounds perfect _ .

She walked over to Chloe and said, "need some help?"

"No...I just don't know why I brought both of these shirts...they're basically the same," Chloe said.

Max smiled and sat on the bed, causing Chloe's pile of clothes to collapse.

"Shit, sorry," Max said.

"You think that pile was organized?" Chloe said, "although…"

Chloe eyed the bed deviously and then leapt onto it atop Max.

Max laughed and tried to roll away but Chloe pushed her down and pinned her in place with a kiss.

**. . . . .**

Twenty minutes later, Max rolled off of the bed, her hair messy and a grin on her face. She had to straighten her t-shirt and pants from all of the rolling, twisting, and tickling.

"Dude, you should see your hair," Chloe said, standing and stretching.

"Crap, how much time until our reservation?" Max said, hurrying to a mirror.

"Er...fifteen minutes?...and, um...I was kinda lazy and we're eating in a restaurant here in the hotel so, you know, it's not far...but all the reviews are super good," Chloe said.

"Hey, you've always been amazing at picking places for food," Max said, grabbing a brush out of her bag, " _ I'm _ the one who has to prove myself and pick somewhere for tomorrow night."

"I bet you pick hella hipster," Chloe said, falling into a chair sideways.

"Actually...I have an idea...I wonder if it's still there…," Max said, the brush paused in her hair.

"If what's still there?" Chloe said.

"What time do you think we'll be up tomorrow?" Max said.

"Um...no idea...normally I'd say noon or some shit. But, ever since we got Captain Bluebeard and Long Max Silver back together, we've been waking up  _ way _ earlier than I'm used to," Chloe said.

"Are you getting enough sleep?" Max said, frowning.

"Oh, yeah," Chloe said, "better than I've had in  _ months _ . You're good for my health, as it turns out."

Max stopped brushing, a small smile settling onto her face. She looked over her shoulder at Chloe.

_ That's...so sweet _ , Max thought.

"What? It's true," Chloe said.

"Well, it turns out that you're good for my health too," Max said.

"Must be all of that  _ love  _ stuff," Chloe said, scrunching her nose.

"I don't know, Chloe," Max said, "seemed like we were pretty good for one another's health back when we were kids."

"Yeah, but that was love too," Chloe said, "just...you know...with less making out."

The smiled at each other for a moment before Max turned back to the mirror to finish brushing her hair.

"So...for tomorrow...do you have any plans for the morning?" Max said.

"No...unless of course…," Chloe smiled mischievously, "there might be the possibility of riding Max."

"Sure; where do you want to go?" Max said.

"Oh, there's basically one good destination...lots of ways to get there though. The riding is the best part though," Chloe said.

"Huh, I didn't know you had such a thing for trains. But if you want to ride the train around, I'd totally be cool with that. I could probably get some awesome shots from it," Max said.

"I think you might be missing out on the true nature of riding Max," Chloe said, barely containing a laugh.

"What? I'm really confused...you said that MAX is…," Max began before her eyes widened. She turned and put a hand on her hip, saying, "have I told you recently that you are the world's biggest dork."

"Well, you did call me a dork a couple of minutes ago. But without the extra flattery…after all, 'world's biggest' is high praise," Chloe said.

Max sighed, turning back to the mirror to try to hide her smile.

"So what's up with tomorrow morning?" Chloe said.

"Oh, right," Max said, "my idea requires that we go somewhere tomorrow morning."

"Sure...I shall follow where you lead, Super Max," Chloe said.

Max checked her hair in the mirror and nodded before saying, "is there any kind of dress code for dinner?"

"I don't think so...it's Portland, after all," Chloe said.

"You never know," Max said, "even the chillest of places have their uptight spots."

Chloe pulled out her phone and, after a moment, said, "nope, no code."

"Oh good, because I didn't bring anything even close to formal," Max said.

"And I don't  _ own  _ anything even close to formal anymore," Chloe said.

"Alright, let me make a call for my plan tomorrow...and then let's go eat," Max said.


	15. Second Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has NSFW content.

The restaurant sat just off of the hotel lobby; they entered and were seated at a small booth. A waitress arrived moments later and took their drink orders: an infused water for Max and a sparkling water for Chloe.

As soon as the waitress left, Chloe said, "dude, I was so tempted to use my fake ID to get some booze...but I don't want to get us thrown out."

"You have a fake ID?" Max whispered.

"Yeah, how do you think we got checked in?" Chloe said, "you have to be 21 to check in here."

"But...what if it didn't work?" Max said.

"Eh, rewind and try again?" Chloe said, shrugging, "I figured there was a pretty good chance of it working. This ID is hella good. You should've seen my first fake ID. It was a Utah license and it worked...pretty much never. Frank hooked me up with this new one last year. Latest and greatest. Oregon and it says I'm 23."

"And you're dating an 18 year old?" Max said, shaking her head, "scandalous."

"Haven't you heard of the dating formula?" Chloe said.

"No," Max said.

"You take your age, divide by two, and add seven...that's the youngest person you can date," Chloe said.

"So...if you were 23…," Max said, pausing for a moment to run it through her head, "then no, I'm too young."

"What?" Chloe said, "first of all, how did you get to the number before me? I was always better at math. And second, the answer is 18.5. That seems completely legit."

"First, I have no idea how I got there first...you _are_ better at math than I am," Max said, "and as for the second part, I think you'd have to round it up to 19. And even if you didn't, I'm only a couple of weeks past 18...definitely not at eighteen and a half yet."

"Damn, good thing I'm actually 19 then," Chloe said.

"Won't stop me from calling you a cradle robber," Max said.

Chloe kicked her under the table.

Chuckling, Max picked up her menu and Chloe did the same. As she browsed through the menu, Max tried to control the blush on her face as Chloe played footsie with her. Chloe, of course, simply held a small smile on her face.

When the waitress returned, they placed their orders: Max decided on a salmon dish and Chloe selected a steak, the most expensive item on the menu. The waitress asked if they wanted any appetizers; Chloe looked over at Max.

"Um," Max said, "we can totally get something if you want but I was thinking about saving room for dessert."

"Alright, let's leave room for dessert," Chloe said.

The waitress left and Chloe raised her glass.

"First, to Nathan, whose careless storage of illicit currency has made all of this possible, including my stupidly expensive steak," Chloe said.

Max clinked her glass against Chloe's and laughed, saying, "I never thought I'd be toasting to Nathan Prescott."

"Me neither, but life is strange sometimes," Chloe said.

"No kidding," Max said.

"Let's toast to that," Chloe said, raising her glass again.

"You know," she continued, "we'll need to repeat these toasts later with champagne."

"Champagne?" Max said.

"Yeah, Frank told me about a place near here that doesn't check ID _that_ closely," Chloe said with a grin.

Max smiled and raised her glass, saying, "to illicit transactions!"

"Hear, hear," Chloe said.

Max raised her glass again and said, "to science!"

"That again? Sure, I love science...to science!" Chloe said, bumping Max's glass, "have we now officially stolen this idea from Warren and Brooke?"

"Oh yes," Max said, keeping her glass up, "and how about to...I love you."

"I'll hella toast to that," Chloe said, clinking her glass, "I love you too, G."

They sipped and put their glasses down.

"Hey," Chloe continued, "want to play a game?"

"You mean other than footsie?" Max said.

"Oops," Chloe said, dropping her foot, "it's becoming a habit."

"Hey, I'm okay with it," Max said, chuckling as Chloe moved her foot back to where it had been, "I'm sure I'll freak out horribly if somebody _else_ ever realizes that you're doing it...but until then, I...do like it. Um...anyways, what game do you want to play?"

"Something Rachel and I used to play," Chloe said, "the first time ended up being...kinda shitty because of something we saw...but that doesn't mean it isn't hella fun."

"You have me intrigued," Max said.

"Okay, what we do is look around and act out what people around us are saying," Chloe said.

"Oh, I know that game! Have you ever seen Date Night? With Steve Carell and Tina Fey?" Max said.

"Er...no?" Chloe said.

"It's a pretty good movie...and they play that game in the beginning," Max said.

"Sweet, let's add that movie to our list," Chloe said.

"We have a list?" Max said.

"Huh, I guess not," Chloe said, "but we should start one...as long as you don't fill it with black and white arthouse films."

"I swear I've only seen _one_ of those kinds of films and I hated it," Max said.

"Nonetheless, I shall be keeping a close eye on the list," Chloe said, smirking.

Max rolled her eyes but smiled.

"Okay, about this game…," Chloe said, scanning the restaurant, "ooh, how about that group over there?" She jerked her head towards a trio of laughing women in the far corner. They looked to be a few years older than Max and Chloe and were all wearing cocktail dresses.

Max watched them, her photographer's eye framing the scene...what would she focus on? The smiles...the laughs...the full wine glasses. And what emotions in the scene would she be trying to capture? Joy, happiness, celebration, camaraderie...

_Okay, that's how I'd_ photograph _the scene_ , Max thought, _now...how might that joyous celebration be ridiculous?_

"Got it," Max said, leaning in. Chloe leaned over.

Max said, in what she hoped was a reasonable imitation of a Victoria-like voice, "I'm so happy we got away...that bachelorette party really sucked. Good thing we finally ditched the bride in the river."

Chloe snorted and had to compose herself before adding, in a nasal voice, "she was _such_ a bitch. I'm _so_ glad we don't have to go to this wedding now. It was going to be a _total_ disaster. Spongebob is _not_ a good wedding theme."

Max laughed into her napkin and Chloe continued, "just texted the Best Man; they put the groom in the river too."

Max continued, in her alternate voice, "do you think," she cleared her throat, trying not to laugh, "do you think the groom will float in his Spongebob costume?"

Chloe laughed out loud, drawing an amused glance from the couple next to them.

She calmed her laugh and said, "I don't know...but I'm _totally_ sure the bride will float in her Patrick one."

Max clamped her hands over her mouth to hold in her laugh.

After a moment, she withdrew her hands and said, in the Victoria voice, "good thing we get to skip the _horrible_ food at the reception. Pineapples, pineapple pizza, burgers with pineapple, pineapple upside down cake...I wouldn't have been able to look at a pineapple _ever_ again."

"Bullet _totally_ dodged there," Chloe said in her nasal voice, "but at least we get to keep the custom embroidered bikini bottoms."

Max nearly fell out of her seat and Chloe had to cover her mouth with her napkin to drown out her laugh.

They finally calmed down enough to move onto their next target...they went through table after table, coming up with skits for nearly half the restaurant's occupants before their waitress arrived with their food. She placed their plates before tilting her head and raising an eyebrow at Max and Chloe's barely contained laughter.

"We're...we're playing that game where you act out what other people are saying," Chloe explained.

"Oh," the waitress said, her eyes lighting up, "the game from that movie with Tina Fey and Steve Carell? We play that game all the time here."

"Ooh, did you play it with us?" Chloe said.

The waitress looked taken aback for a moment and then nodded.

"Oh, you _have_ to tell us, who are we?" Chloe said.

"Um...well...we went with a...a pair of lovers who are trying to secretly get married in the hipster underground," she said, her face reddening.

Max chuckled and Chloe laughed aloud, saying, "that is _so_ perfect. You guys are awesome."

The waitress smiled and stepped away.

"So," Chloe said, turning to Max, "want to get married in the hipster underground?"

"I don't think it counts if you get married in the hipster underground," Max said.

"Probably not...and what _is_ the hipster underground?" Chloe said, cutting into her steak.

"I can't tell you because you're not a hipster," Max said, taking a small bite of her salmon.

"I have ways to make you talk," Chloe said, her booted foot rising along Max's leg.

"Oh, I know you do," Max said, "but the hipster underground's conditioning is too powerful even for _you_ to break."

"Oh yeah?" Chloe said, leaning over close to Max, "well, I think you'll be singing like a bird when I have you moaning my name, trembling with every touch, and _begging_ me to keep going." She sat back and continued, "oh, and can I try a piece of your salmon?"

Max sat frozen in place with her fork halfway to her mouth; the piece of salmon on the fork fell to her plate.

"Er...yeah," Max said, her brain feeling like it just rebooted, "you can totally have some of my salmon."

"Shit, sorry, was that uncomfortable?" Chloe said, leaning forward with a worried expression.

"I _am_ very protective of my salmon but you're my girlfriend so I'm comfortable sharing," Max said.

"I'm...not sure whether that was literal or a euphemism...and I'm not sure if you're blocking out what I said before or, like, joking or something," Chloe said.

Max smiled and said, "yes."

"Fuck," Chloe said.

"Sorry," Max said, reaching over and putting a hand on Chloe's, "I couldn't resist messing with _you_ for once...what you said wasn't uncomfortable. It surprised me a little...but I'm getting more accustomed to your ways, Chloe Price. And you can have some of my salmon. Can I have a piece of the less-bloody part of your steak?"

"Hell yeah," Chloe said, grinning, "and I bow to your excellent revenge there."

She cut a couple of pieces off of the edge of her steak and put them on Max's plate; Max did the same with her salmon.

**. . . . .**

After dessert, Chloe paid with a stack of Nathan-money and guided Max out to the sidewalk.

As Chloe fumbled with a cigarette, Max stared at the buildings around her, her eyes wide. She knew that Portland wasn't a particularly large city...and that the buildings around her weren't _that_ tall, really. But having grown up in Arcadia Bay (and with only a few visits to downtown Seattle while living in that area), Max felt a certain amount of awe in almost any city. She pulled out her camera and first took a shot of the hotel's entrance canopy from the side, the buildings lining the street behind providing a perfect background. She next took a shot of the squat canyon of buildings down the street, loving that she could capture a very modern-looking building right next to one that looked a hundred years old. She then pulled Chloe close, interrupting her attempt to light a cigarette, and took a selfie.

Chloe chuckled and lit her cigarette.

"Anywhere you want to go?" Max said, putting her camera away.

"Well...I was going to surprise you later but this hotel is _super_ close to Powell's," Chloe said.

"Are you kidding?" Max said, "Chloe, you really are the best."

"I'm taking note each time you say such things," Chloe said, putting her arm around Max's shoulders and starting to walk.

"Such things are true," Max said, "hmm…"

She pulled out her phone and began tapping at it.

"Whatcha lookin' for?" Chloe said, gently guiding Max out of the middle of the sidewalk.

"Powell's closes at eleven," Max said, "same as I remember…"

"Why would you remember when it...wait...you didn't...," Chloe said.

Max smiled and said, "yeah...last time I was here I spent an entire day in there...until it closed."

"Never change, G," Chloe said, ruffling Max's hair.

Max grinned and said, "so yeah, maybe we should avoid Powell's tonight...if I go in, I won't leave until they kick me out."

"In that case, mind if we go down to the river? I'd like to stock up on some ganja," Chloe said.

"Some what now?" Max said, slipping her phone into her pocket.

"You know... _baking_ supplies," Chloe said.

"Oh, yeah, sure," Max said.

She still wasn't quite sure how she felt about Chloe's habits. She'd read that marijuana wasn't nearly as bad as PSAs and paranoid parents made it seem...so she wasn't really worried too much about Chloe's 'medication'...other than getting caught with it, of course. But she did harbor a hope that Chloe would eventually quit smoking cigarettes.

They continued down the sidewalk, joking about things Max might do if she ever got high...from dancing in class ("I _did_ do that," Max said) to dressing up as Long Max Silver and commandeering Warren's car to raid coffee shops.

"Maybe I should stay away from drugs of any kind," Max said as Chloe finished laughing over the image of Max holding baristas at wooden sword-point to demand a more photogenic latte.

"Speaking of...wait here, Max," Chloe said, a chuckle still in her voice.

They'd nearly reached the river and Max stood off to the side, watching as Chloe crossed a path to talk to a man beneath a tree on the other side. She came back a few minutes later.

"Okay, got my stuff," Chloe said.

They walked across to the waterfront and sat on a bench in a quiet spot. Chloe used the opportunity to roll herself a small joint.

"Want one?" Chloe asked.

"No, I'm okay," she said, "if I try it someday, I think I'd prefer to do it somewhere a little more private. Still with you, of course."

"Hey, no problem," Chloe said, "invitation's always open...but never required."

"Also, rewinding ability or not, I'd prefer to avoid getting arrested for assaulting a coffee shop with wooden cutlery," Max said.

Chloe chuckled and finished rolling her joint. She lit it, breathed in, and exhaled a small cloud of smoke away from Max.

"Want to walk?" Chloe said.

"Sure; is that okay with, you know, that?" Max said, pointing to Chloe's smoldering joint.

"Oh yeah," Chloe said, "I was told that this area is pretty lax, particularly at night. Besides, if I get busted, we have your handy cheat code."

Max grinned and stood up, holding her hand out.

Chloe took Max's hand and they walked along the waterfront trail. Max felt a wave of calm contentment wash over her as they strolled along, quietly observing the park and the passersby around them. Chloe tossed the remains of her joint when she finished it, breathing out a relaxed sigh.

"Dude, I don't think I've felt this fucking relaxed in _years_ ," she said, "I had...all of this fucking weight on my shoulders. Didn't even realize how much there was until it started falling off these last couple of weeks. And that's mostly because of you, Max," she squeezed Max's hand, "I actually feel like a real person again. Like I have purpose and shit."

"I'm so glad, Chloe," Max said, squeezing her hand back, "it's like...it feels like we're finally getting our lives back. I don't think I ever realized how hard it is to feel relaxed when you don't have something important driving you. It's...anxiety all the time...I've been drifting aimlessly for so long and now I feel like I have wind in my sails. That's you, Chloe, the wind in my sails."

"Max the beat poet...Max the _romantic_ beat poet," Chloe said, twisting around and pulling Max into a kiss.

Max could taste the pot on Chloe's lips and in her breath. She found it...strange...but not unpleasant...and she happily melted into the kiss.

Chloe broke away laughing and said, "I'm not even that high but everything seems so damn funny."

"I like funny...maybe I _should_ try some," Max said, making Chloe laugh harder.

They walked until they found themselves in a large grassy park by the water. They went to the center and laid down side by side, staring up at the few stars visible in the sky above, contemplating everything from the meaning of time to whether or not aliens would get tattoos. Max realized then that she'd never really interacted with Chloe when Chloe had smoked pot and _not_ been in an otherwise foul mood. The difference between Chloe's sullen high and Chloe's relaxed high was stark. The latter was highly contemplative, hilariously humorous, and even more playful than usual. She found every excuse to hug, touch, and kiss Max...making Max smile each and every time.

"You know something, Chloe?" Max said after a failed tickle offensive on Chloe's part.

"Oh shit, am I being too obnoxious?" Chloe said.

"Nope, just going to tell you that I love you," Max said.

"Nice...and I love the fuck out of you too," Chloe said.

After a little while longer, Max stood and helped Chloe up.

"I'm thinking about heading back to the hotel...it's getting a little chilly," Max said.

"Sounds good to me...get under the covers to get toasty with Max," Chloe said, putting an arm around Max's shoulders.

**. . . . .**

They returned to the hotel room and Chloe collapsed onto the couch, yawning loudly and stretching.

"Tired?" Max said, standing beside the couch with a hand on her hip.

"Yeah," Chloe said, her eyes half-closed, "sorry...I'd totally be all over you right now but I think I'd just pass out."

"It's okay, I'm tired too," Max said, stretching.

Max strolled over to her suitcase and pulled her sleep shirt and shorts out; Chloe looked over with a frown.

"Shit," she said, "I totally forgot to bring my pajamas."

"Oh really?" Max said, crossing her arms and smiling, "you 'forgot'?"

"Seriously, I did," Chloe said.

Max shrugged and placed her pajamas back in her suitcase.

"I guess I should show solidarity with your pajama situation," Max said, making Chloe laugh.

"Well, it _is_ what we wore yesterday morning," Chloe said, standing and removing her pants.

"True," Max said, pulling her shirt off.

**. . . . .**

They both slid under the covers and scooted towards one another, slowly able to see more of one another's faces as their eyes adjusted to the dark.

Chloe smiled and said, "Max, I…this is everything that I always wanted us to be."

"But we haven't had sex yet," Max said. She paused and said, "sorry, that was a little crass."

"Hey," Chloe said, placing a hand on Max's arm, "I know I talk about it...a lot...and any time you want it, just ask. But Max, I love you right here and right now. We're having adventures together...we're being pirates and best friends and lovers... _that's_ what I really wanted. You saved my life but you also gave me my life back."

Max reached out and intertwined her fingers with Chloe's.

"Chloe," Max said, "I wouldn't want it any other way...you mean everything to me. I never realized it before but this is what I wanted too...every bit of it. It's you and me," she smiled, "partners in crime."

"If you say 'partners in time' I swear I'll kick you," Chloe said.

"I love you too, Chloe" Max said, chuckling.

"Yeah you do...and I love you too," Chloe said.

They scooted closer and pressed together, hugging close. Max listened to Chloe's breathing and soon drifted off to sleep.

**. . . . .**

Max wasn't quite sure what woke her up. Perhaps it was a dream...she could remember trees...and...something? It seemed familiar somehow...but the images slipped away. She gave up on trying to recall it and slowly took in the dark space around her.

_Where am I?_ she thought, confused that she saw neither a _The Winger and the Cow_ poster or a flag over a window. Then her memory caught up with her and she relaxed, smiling sleepily. She looked to the side and saw Chloe's outline next to her. Chloe lay on her back, her chest rising and falling gently...and then Max saw her eyes blink...Chloe was awake.

Max thought for a moment, finding herself in a strange grey area between sleepy and awake. Chloe's words filled her mind: "...any time you want it, just ask…" She felt a stab of curiosity...and excitement...and a little fear. The feelings tumbled around in her mind until she summoned courage and spoke quietly.

"Chloe?" she whispered.

Chloe jumped.

"Hey," she whispered back, rolling to face Max, "did I wake you up?"

"No...I just sort of woke up," Max said, "what are _you_ doing up?"

"Oh, no big deal," Chloe said, "sometimes my dreams or nightmares wake me up and I have to hang out until I fall asleep again."

"I'm sorry," Max said, "was it...dreams or nightmares tonight?"

She could see Chloe smile.

"Dreams, definitely dreams," Chloe said, "so I'm okay with it."

"Well, if you ever have nightmares and need help, you can wake me up," Max said.

"You're sweet, Max," Chloe said, running a hand through Max's hair.

"I'm serious," Max said.

"I...I will then," Chloe said.

"Um...I sort of...have a question," Max said.

"Yeah?" Chloe said.

Max took a deep breath and said, "I was wondering if I could...er...touch you."

Silence.

"Just to make sure," Chloe said, "you're _actually_ awake, right? Not, like, sleep talking?"

"Yep, totally awake," Max said.

"And you mean touch as in... _touch_?" Chloe said.

Max nodded.

"Wow...you are full of surprises, G," Chloe said, smiling, "um...yeah."

Max could hear Chloe shifting under the covers.

"You sure about this?" Chloe whispered.

"Yeah," Max said, smiling and scooting closer.

"Okay," Chloe said, resting a hand on Max's arm.

Max began reaching down with her free hand. Her breath caught in her throat as her fingers contacted Chloe's bare stomach. She looked up at Chloe and Chloe nodded. Max stared into Chloe's eyes as she slid her hand downwards. She reached the waistband of Chloe's underwear and Chloe took in a sharp breath. She continued over Chloe's underwear and watched Chloe's eyes close. And as she slid her fingers between Chloe's legs, Chloe sighed and squeezed Max's hand.

_I don't believe it_ , Max thought, her eyes wide, _I'm definitely_ touching _Chloe right now...like, intimately._

Max moved her fingers up and down, tracing contours through the cloth that felt both comfortably familiar and tantalizingly different. Fascinated, she gently pushed and explored with her fingers. And when Chloe moaned softly, the sound reached right into Max's heart and made her smile. And...it made her feel other things too.

"Max?" Chloe said breathlessly.

"Yeah?" Max said, somewhat hoarse.

"Can I...touch you too?" Chloe said.

The question sent a spark of excitement through Max, answering the little flame of desire that had been growing inside of her for days.

"Yes," she said. She shifted one leg backwards and felt a tremor as Chloe's fingers touched her chest. She sighed as Chloe's hand traced down over her stomach, tickling her a little and sending tingles through her skin.

"This...is okay?" Chloe said, her fingers paused on Max's waistband.

"Uh huh," Max said, her eyes half-closed.

Chloe moved her hand down and Max gasped as Chloe cupped the hand and pressed with her palm and her fingers. Chloe chuckled. A lopsided grin blossomed on Max's face and she moved her own fingers in a tight circle, eliciting a very un-Chloe-like squeak out of Chloe.

"Damn, Max," Chloe whispered, "you're so evil."

They laid together, fingers moving softly and slowly, until Max's drowsiness overcame her and she drifted back into a happy sleep.


	16. Portland

Max's alarm sounded and she reached absentmindedly to her left to shut it off.

"Max," came Chloe's voice, "you can't snooze your alarm by smacking my nose."

"Oh shit," Max said, bolting upright, "sorry. I forgot we're not in my room."

"Ha, no kidding," Chloe said, "I woke up, like, ten minutes ago and almost had a freak out."

Max reached over to her right and turned her alarm off.

She turned back to Chloe, who sat up, the covers tumbling off of her. Max stared; she'd  _ also  _ forgotten that Chloe wasn't wearing pajamas.

"So...why is there an alarm, exactly?" Chloe said, yawning and stretching.

"Um…," Max said, distracted.

"Ha, you staring again?" Chloe said. She smiled slyly and arched her back.

"Yeah," Max said, her eyes widening.

"I have to say, your attentions make me feel hella awesome," Chloe said, "and, by the way, you're looking pretty damn good yourself."

Max tilted her head in doubt before thinking,  _ okay, I'll believe her _ . She then grinned and batted her eyelashes.

"Oh no, what have I done?" Chloe said, chuckling, "anyways, what's up with the alarm?"

"Oh right, I'm taking you to breakfast at an  _ amazing  _ place," Max said, "My parents and I went every day the last time I was here."

"Dude, I fucking  _ love  _ breakfast food," Chloe said, "you sure know a way to a girl's heart. And...as last night proved, to  _ other  _ places on a girl."

Max's eyes went wide and she dropped back to her pillow, pulling the covers up and over her head.

"Max…," Chloe said, prodding the Max-shaped lump under the covers.

"Max!" Chloe said, nudging harder.

"Max Caulfield isn't in right now," came Max's muffled voice, "please leave a message after the tone." She made a beep sound.

"Hi Max, it's me, your girlfriend," Chloe said, "just trying to get in touch with you because we're in Portland together and you're apparently embarrassed over twiddling my twat last night. Wanted to let you know that you shouldn't be embarrassed...and it was awesome. Bye."

Max's fingers appeared at the top of the covers and she slowly pulled them down until just the top of her head and her eyes were visible.

"Hi, Max!" Chloe said, leaning over and kissing Max's forehead.

Chloe climbed over and straddled the Max-shaped lump, leaning over to look into Max's eyes.

"Dude, just so you know, last night was hot, hilarious,  _ and  _ adorable...as usual," Chloe said.

"Are you sure? You...aren't mad that we...didn't keep going?" Max said, her voice still muffled.

"Max, I had a blast...fuck, I got to play with  _ you  _ too!" Chloe said, grinning, "and of course I'm not mad; I'm never going to be mad about taking things slow. Besides, we were both hella sleepy. You just sort of conked out. It was cute as fuck," she chuckled, "you know, Beta Max conked out like that the first night we made out...just totally fell asleep. She freaked out about it the next day...thought that it was rude or some shit. Totally not. Anyways...yeah...you do some hella nice things with your fingers."

Max's face disappeared underneath the covers again.

"Oh, come on," Chloe said, pulling the covers down to show Max's red but smiling face.

"That's what I thought," Chloe continued before yanking the covers completely away.

"Hey!" Max said, rolling onto her side.

"Oh, bad move, Caulfield," Chloe said, bringing her fingers to Max's exposed side.

Max attempted to twist away but was caught in Chloe's grasp...and within a couple of minutes, both of them had tumbled to the floor, tangled up with each other and the sheets, laughing uncontrollably.

Declaring a draw, they began extricating themselves from the jumble of sheets, smiling brightly at one another.

"So...breakfast?" Chloe said.

"Yep," Max said.

"Ass buster breakfast?" Chloe said.

"Definitely. If I remember correctly, I could never finish  _ any  _ of my meals there," Max said, finally freeing her legs from the twisted covers, "the portion sizes are always way too big." She scrunched her nose.

"Dude, I  _ love  _ huge portion sizes," Chloe said.

"I don't know, Chloe," Max said, "this place might defeat even you."

"Ha, never," Chloe said.

**. . . . .**

Chloe stared at the scattered remains of her omelet and sides.

"Shit, Max," she said, "I think you might've been right."

Max sat up from her food-induced stupor and stared at Chloe's plate.

"My how the mighty have fallen," Max said, "but still, that's pretty good. I've  _ never  _ finished that much."

"Dude, you polished off most of that waffle," Chloe said, pointing.

"That's because I ordered  _ just  _ the waffle," Max said, "if I'd ordered any sides, I would've been doomed...and egg-based dishes are way out of my league here."

"Maybe I'll just order a scone next time...also," Chloe said, leaning over and lowering her voice, "don't tell my mom but this place is easily the equal of the Two Whales...and...um...maybe a bit better."

Max made an exaggerated gasp and covered her mouth.

"Chloe, how scandalous," Max said.

"I know," Chloe said, "as it turns out, I trust only  _ you  _ with my scandals."

"Speaking of scandals, I'm surprised I haven't been footsied yet," Max said.

"Oh, I'd totally be doing it...but I'm too full to lift my leg," Chloe said, leaning back.

**. . . . .**

After finally finding the energy to stand, they made a reservation for the next morning and stepped out into the chilly, foggy morning.

"Now what?" Chloe said, putting an arm around Max's shoulders and leading her along the sidewalk.

"Well, I'm thinking that we really need to walk this breakfast off," Max said, "and what better place to do that than in a sprawling, multi-level bookstore?"

"Ha, that's what I thought," Chloe said, leaning over and kissing the top of Max's head.

"This is going to be epic," Max said.

**. . . . .**

They stepped into Powell's and Max stopped, staring around with a grin on her face.

"So, Maxaroni, what's the plan?" Chloe said.

"Anything in particular that you're looking for?" Max said.

"Er...good question," Chloe said, "I know I want to dig through manga. Plenty of series to catch up on. I even have a list," she patted a pocket on her jacket, "and then...hmm...sci fi, that's for sure. Maybe some art books. Maybe we could get an atlas too. Plan out our future travels. Oh, and science. We should probably check that out together...see if we can find anything related to your...ah...special talents."

"Hmm...let's start at science then," Max said, leading them further into the store.

"Do you know where you're going?" Chloe said.

"Oh yes; I have the map memorized," Max said.

"Of course you do," Chloe said, "and what are  _ you  _ looking for?"

"Everything," Max said.

**. . . . .**

After several hours of winding through the tall shelves, buying coffee, and meeting up at random spots throughout the store, Max and Chloe descended to the checkout line.

Max had a basket packed with a trio of photography books, a small atlas, a book of poster art, a modern art book that caught her eye ("wait...how is a random-ass yellow cube considered art?" Chloe had said), a couple of classic Asimov novels that she'd somehow never read ("I'm stealing those as soon as you're done with them," Chloe had said), a couple of books about dealing with post-traumatic stress ("fuck, mind if I borrow those?" Chloe had said), and a pair of metaphysical books about time and space.

Chloe carried a wobbling stack of books that caused passerby to nervously stare. On the bottom were tattoo art books with some images that made Max blush ("it's art! It's tasteful!" Chloe had said). Above those were books about astrophysics, molecular biology, and theoretical physics. Above  _ those _ was a find that Chloe was particularly proud of: a book about punk style and music. And above that: a tall stack of manga. Adjacent to  _ that  _ stack was a short stack of sci-fi and fantasy novels that Max had never heard of...Chloe explained that a couple of people she'd known at Blackwell had recommended them ages ago. And finally, at the top, seeming to stare boldly down, were a couple of books about sex, the specifics of which made Max more than a little embarrassed in public...however, she had every intention of thumbing through them in private.

Chloe gently placed her towering stack in front of the cashier next to where Max was making her purchase. Max leaned over and said, "I can't believe that you're leaving here with more books than  _ me _ !"

"Dude, I've been incommunicado from book world for years now," Chloe said, "you were always my main inspiration for...um...kinda everything."

Max's cashier and Chloe's cashier smiled at each other.

"You're such a dork," Max said quietly, blushing and smiling.

After handing over a chunk of the Nathan drug cash, they hauled their goods out of Powell's and back to the hotel. For the entire walk, Chloe bemoaned the fact that they hadn't brought the truck up.

**. . . . .**

In their room, Max carefully stacked most of her books into her suitcase, leaving a sizeable space for her clothes.

Chloe watched and said, "I'm beginning to see the advantages of your methodology."

"I knew you'd come around eventually," Max said, "and I guessed it would be around the time you realized that you'd have to carry several bags-worth of clothes, books, and toiletries through a hotel."

Chloe stuck out her tongue and Max grinned.

Then, as soon as Max turned around, Chloe snuck up behind her and grabbed her around the waist, lifting her up. Max cried out, dropping a book and kicking her legs...then she laughed as Chloe carried her over to the couch.

Chloe dropped Max onto the couch and descended on top of her, kissing her between bursts of laughter.

After a particularly deep kiss, Chloe sat up and said, "so, what do you want to do now?"

"What...time is it?" Max said, catching her breath.

"Er...like one or two?" Chloe said.

"Are you hungry?" Max said.

"Aw, fuck no," Chloe said, rubbing her stomach, "I'm still full from breakfast. You?"

"I'm still full too," Max said.

"In that case, come on," Chloe said, standing and holding out her hand. Max grabbed the offered hand and Chloe pulled her off of the couch, eliciting a "whoa" from Max.

"Where are we going?" Max said.

"Time to upgrade your style, hippie," Chloe said.

"Okay...but I ask one thing in return," Max said as they exited the room.

"I don't know, Maxaroni, the terms of this deal were already set," Chloe said, stopping and crossing her arms.

"I still maintain that the terms established by you and Beta Max are not binding on me, the so-called G-Max," Max said, smiling and also crossing her arms.

"Seems like you're pretty much the same person to me," Chloe said, "same body, after all." She winked.

"Ah, but you refer to us differently," Max said with a sly grin, "she's Beta Max and I'm G-Max...or just Max."

"Or just G," Chloe said. Max rolled her eyes.

"My point stands," Max said.

"Well, can't hurt to hear what you're after. Then I can decide whether or not to die on this hill. So, what's your proposal?" Chloe said.

"Bit early for proposals, don't you think?" Max said, grinning.

"Nice," Chloe said, holding out her fist.

Max bumped it and said, "Here's my demand: I want to go through one hallway of photos here before we go."

"Wait, that's  _ it _ ? Er...shit...I mean...wow, that's a  _ huge  _ change to the original agreement, Max," Chloe said, "not sure I can accept that."

"Then how about a kiss too?" Max said, stepping closer to Chloe.

"Damn, G," Chloe said, "altered terms of the agreement accepted."

Max stood on her tiptoes and kissed Chloe. As soon as she dropped her heels back to the floor, she spun around and grabbed Chloe's hand, pulling her off towards the elevators.

**. . . . .**

"I still can't believe you found that hotel," Max said later as they walked along the sidewalk, hand in hand, "every single one of those photos is amazing. I could spend all day in there."

"I know," Chloe said, "and I could just stand there watching you. You, like, brighten up. Your face is like a light bulb. It's fucking adorable. You should take a selfie while you're looking at photos to see what I mean."

Max blushed and said, "I...thanks, Chloe. Sometimes I worry that I bore you with this stuff. After all, it's not tattoos and punk."

"Dude, we get plenty of time with my interests," Chloe said, "and really, hearing how much you love that stuff? Totally worth it. Besides,  _ now  _ it's my turn: we're here...first stop in your style upgrade."

Chloe stopped in front of a dark store with music booming deeply from inside. Max stared through the door with her mouth slightly open.

"I see," Max said, "I...guess I did agree to this. Okay, Chloe, find me something to bring out my inner punk rock girl...even though I don't think she exists."

"Time to find out!" Chloe said, "we'll start with some Chloe-style and see how that plays out. And then...oh, you said you tried on Rachel's clothes?"

"Yeah, in the erased week of crazy shit," Max said.

"And you liked them? The ones from my closet?" Chloe said.

"Er, they were comfortable but not  _ really _ my style," Max said.

"Good to know," Chloe said, "let's go."

They stepped inside and Max followed Chloe around the store, marveling at the dark red and black decor, the industrial look, and, especially, the other patrons. Max realized that, in here, she  _ really _ stood out.

_ Chloe's right at home in here...hell, she's even a bit tame _ , Max thought, watching as a woman passed by wearing a short checkered skirt and a shirt that looked like it had been through the Arcadia Bay tornado that never was,  _ I can't imagine  _ ever  _ matching up with this style. Although...some of those bags over there are kind of cool...but whatever, Chloe's going to have a blast playing dress-up with me. So, at the very least, she'll have a ton of fun and I'll be laughing my ass off at how crazy I'll look. Hmm...I'll have to take a selfie with the most ridiculous thing she puts me in _ .

In what Max thought was a surprisingly short amount of time, Chloe had amassed a short stack of graphic tank tops, distressed pants, and a couple of jackets.

_ Those are  _ very  _ Chloe _ , Max thought, smiling.

Chloe led Max to a changing spot behind a curtain. They passed by a man with more piercings than Max could count, who nodded at Chloe and did a double-take upon seeing Max.

_ Yep _ , Max thought,  _ I am definitely out of place here...so much for my typical strategy of quietly hiding in plain sight _ .

"Okay," Chloe said at the curtain, handing over the clothes, "try these on and see what you think. I'm going to go grab some more stuff. Oh, and even if you don't like these, pick a favorite because I want to see!"

"Will do," Max said, grinning.

She stepped into the dressing space and changed into the first set: a white tank top with a flaming skull on the front and a pair of torn black pants. She looked into the mirror and grimaced. Chloe's hand appeared from the other side of the curtain, waving.

"Yo Max, you decent?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said, still staring at her reflection with a tilted head.

"Okay, I grabbed some...ooh, looking hella good, Max," Chloe said, stepping in.

"Er...about this...um...my bra is totally visible here," Max said.

"Who cares?" Chloe said, "although...huh...do you have any black bras? Or, like, purple or dark blue or something?"

"No," Max said.

"If you had such an undergarment, would this style be Max-acceptable?" Chloe said.

"Um...I kind of like to keep my bra fully covered," Max said, wincing.

"Hey, that's cool. We're here to find something awesome that works on  _ you _ ...not to turn you into me," Chloe said, "otherwise we'd be stocking up on hair dye and waaay more tats than I intended."

Max smiled.

"Here, I'll take those shirts back and you take these," Chloe said, handing over a short stack of graphic tees and checkered shirts.

_ Rachel-ish style _ , Max thought.

Chloe held out a hand to take the clothes Max had rejected.

"Actually," Max said, "maybe I'll keep these tank tops for a few minutes...maybe we could do a Halloween some time where we dress up as each other."

"Damn, that's an awesome idea," Chloe said, "but in that case you  _ will _ need a dark bra...and the acceptance of people seeing it."

"I guess I can do that for Halloween," Max said, shrugging.

"Awesome," Chloe said, "now I'm going to go pick out some things that might be more Max-appropriate. Oh, and I'll see if I can find some ninja clothes." She ducked out.

Max grinned and rifled through the tank tops, looking for a Chloe Halloween shirt. She nearly picked one with an evil-looking cat figure but returned instead to the flaming skull shirt, figuring that that was the most Chloe-like out of the bunch. Setting that aside, she began trying on combinations of t-shirts with the checkered shirts over them. Chloe had picked the t-shirts very well, with one featuring torn Polaroid photos that Max immediately decided she'd buy anyways.

_ Perfect for an angsty day _ , Max thought.

Another shirt in the pile had blood-red butterflies; Max found herself drawn to that one as well. Most of the checkered shirts, though, were distressed in some way, as were all of the pants. Some had patches of fraying while others had gaping tears.

Chloe returned a few minutes later with another stack of clothes and raised her eyebrows as a question.

"Er, I have good news and bad news," Max said, "which do you want first?"

"I always take the bad news first," Chloe said.

"Okay...I think that I'm not really on board with...um...damaged clothing," Max said, wincing, "I know that's kind of the point of most of this but…" She shrugged.

"Dude, no problem," Chloe said, "most of  _ this  _ stack isn't distressed," she held up the pile in her arms, "so, what's the good news?"

"I found my Chloe Halloween costume!" Max said, holding up the tank top and a pair of black skinny jeans with minimal damage that Max had found very comfortable.

"Nice, I like it," Chloe said, "like I said, we'll just need to get you a decent bra with it. Or, you know, no bra. I'm cool with that.

Max's eyes widened.

"Oh, and we should get you some killer boots," Chloe said, extending her own booted foot.

"Boots?" Max said.

"Yep...and guess what: they double as pirate boots," Chloe said, winking.

"I'm sold," Max said with a smile.

"No good boots here though. We'll have to try somewhere else," Chloe said, "anyways, anything else you like?"

"Yeah, these shirts are fucking awesome," Max said, holding up the two t-shirts she'd picked, "totally getting these."

"Ha, yeah, I figured you'd go for the Polaroid one," Chloe said, "good call on the butterflies one too. Real badass."

"Also reminds me of you," Max said.

Chloe smiled in that particular way that always made Max's heart melt.

After a moment, Chloe cleared her throat and said, "right...so...here you go, I got you some more things to try...went a little nuts with this bunch. And...yeah, I'll see if I can find some non-distressed Rach...er...those shirts."

"You can say Rachel shirts," Max said with a smile, reaching over and holding Chloe's arm, "I do like her style...just with a little less of the features that make it look like it came out of a tornado."

Chloe winced and then so did Max.

"Sorry...bad analogy," Max said.

Chloe chuckled and said, "hey, you stopped that tornado from happening so no harm done, right?"

Chloe ruffled Max's hair and disappeared, taking the leftover tank tops, pants, and checkered shirts with her. Max smiled and looked through the stack that Chloe had brought her, her eyebrows rising.

_ Chloe wasn't kidding...she  _ did  _ go a little nuts _ , Max thought, holding up a short checkered skirt with skulls on it.

Max went through several of Chloe's picks, including an odd-looking checkered coat and a drapey striped shirt, before returning to the checkered skirt. She picked that up along with a black jacket that had  _ way _ too many zippers.

_ Okay _ , Max thought, holding up the two garments,  _ I think I've found the most ridiculous outfit _ .

She put both the skirt and jacket on and retrieved her camera. She carefully pointed the camera at herself, made a peace sign with her free hand, and stuck her tongue out. She snapped the photo just as Chloe stepped into the changing area.

"Yo, Max, here's some...oh...wow...holy  _ shit  _ that's hot," Chloe said, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open.

"No," Max said, her eyes wide.

"Oh, yes," Chloe said, her open-mouthed stare changing to a grin.

"No no no no no," Max said, "no way...here, I took a selfie with this on; you can have it."

She shook the photo and handed it to Chloe.

"I will treasure this forever," Chloe said, holding it close to her heart and handing over a pair of shirts, "and here are two non-distressed Rachel shirts in exchange."

Max shook her head with a smile and quickly changed out of the skirt and jacket, making a reluctant mental note of how much Chloe seemed to like it.

_ Maybe... _ maybe, Max thought,  _ for her birthday or something _ .

Max tried on the shirts Chloe had brought and decided that she liked them both.

"Awesomesauce," Chloe said when Max told her, "these do look hella good on you... _ almost _ as good as what you had on a couple minutes ago," Max rolled her eyes, "anyways, I couldn't find any pants without holes...unless you want skintight leather."

"Yeah, I'll say no to that," Max said.

"There are some other stores we can check out. Not as awesome as this place but more likely to have other stuff, including ninja stuff," Chloe said.

"Sounds good to me," Max said, "although I haven't finished trying on everything you brought."

"Ooh, can you show me?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said.

She tried on a couple of different mesh-like garments that she tossed aside immediately. She put on something that looked like a medieval corset...she was tempted to get it as part of a pirate costume (egged on by Chloe) but just wasn't feeling it. She promised a disappointed Chloe that she was open to the idea of such garments...for costumes, at least...but she just wasn't happy with that particular one. And when she finished trying on the remaining clothes, she decided to throw Chloe a bone and put on the checkered skirt and the too-many-zippers jacket again.

"Max, I love you," Chloe said, gawking.

"Why thank you," Max said, winking.

"You're killing me here," Chloe said.

"Here," Max said, handing Chloe her camera, "you're allowed two photos. Make them count."

"Okay," Chloe said, "photo one: stand just like you are and tilt your head down...yeah...just a bit more. Perfect. Now wink at me."

Max did so and Chloe snapped a photo.

"Alright," Chloe said, "now put one leg up on the bench...yep...now hold this," she fumbled in her pocket and handed Max a cigarette, "perfect...and now look up at the ceiling...as if you're completely indifferent to the world...should come naturally to a hipster."

"I hate you," Max said.

"No you don't," Chloe said, "and...perfect."

She snapped the photo.

"Dude," Chloe continued, "we should do more photo shoots. This is hella fun. And that outfit...just...fuckin' wow."

"I'm glad you think so," Max said, "but be honest," she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, "how long would I be able to keep this outfit on if I was alone with you?"

"Um, yeah...not long," Chloe said. She smiled and quickly took another shot with the camera before Max could react.

"Hey," Max said, "I said two!"

"Yeah, but you were just so adorable there...and hella sexy," Chloe said, taking the photo out and handing the camera back.

"Okay, fine," Max said, wrinkling her nose, "I guess it wouldn't be right to get in the way of a photographer's inspiration."

"Aww, you're amazing, G," Chloe said, hugging her, "and you  _ are  _ such good inspiration."

As Max changed back into her normal clothes, Chloe tried on a couple of pants and then they checked out, with Chloe purchasing a stack of clothes that ranged from her typical style to some more subdued t-shirts and some Rachel-type clothing.

Max raised an eyebrow at the large pile and Chloe said, "dude, not a lot of clothes this good in Arcadia Bay...I'm stocking up for a year. At least."

A second cashier motioned Max over and she placed her more modest stack of clothes on the counter. Then, glancing over to make sure Chloe was facing away, she surreptitiously slid the checkered skirt and many-zippered jacket into the pile.

_ Okay _ , Max thought,  _ I got a Chloe Halloween costume, four awesome shirts, and something that will  _ totally  _ make Chloe's day...god I hope that Kate or Warren or...wowser...my parents... _ never  _ see that outfit. _

And with a pinch of Nathan's drug money to each of the cashiers, they were on their way.

After a short walk, they came upon a large shoe store and Chloe guided them in.

"Let me guess," Max said, "you found all of these stores before we left on Friday?"

"Bingo," Chloe said, "looked these up right after finding the hotel."

They made a beeline for the boots section and Chloe quickly found a new pair for herself. Max found two pairs: one satisfied the need for punk/pirate boots and the other, which looked somewhat like work boots, promised far better cold weather protection than Max's old pair of winter boots, which were sitting limp and worn at the bottom of her closet at Blackwell.

Chloe, however, took one look at the winter boots and laughed, saying, "totally hipster."

"Hey, I like these," Max said.

"Of course you do," Chloe said, nudging Max with her elbow.

A minute later, they found themselves grabbing pairs of the same high tops.

"Whoa, we have a style in common," Chloe said, her eyebrows raised.

"Well, now I don't need a tornado vision to know that the world is coming to an end," Max said with a smile.

They bought their footwear and moved on.

"Where to next?" Max said.

"Um...the mall," Chloe said, "probably our best chance for completing your punk girl lite look and getting you the ninja outfit you so desperately need."

**. . . . .**

They'd walked a couple of blocks when they passed by a set of windows displaying vinyl records, flannel backpacks, and ukuleles. Max stopped.

"Oh shit," Chloe said.

Max grinned up at Chloe, "my people await us inside, my dearest Chloe. Won't you join me?"

"You are disgusting," Chloe said.

"Oh, come on," Max said, "we have to find you a Max Halloween costume, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Chloe said, eyeing the door warily.

"Come on!" Max said, grabbing Chloe's hand and dragging her into the store.

Max walked straight to a wall with graphic tees displayed in a grid. Chloe stood nearby and spun in a slow circle, her eyes wide.

"Okay," Max said, gesturing to the t-shirt wall, "pick some out."

"Dude, there is  _ nothing _ ...oh...huh, actually some of these are pretty sweet," Chloe said. Max grinned.

Chloe ended up picking out a few shirts and Max also stocked up, including another shirt with butterflies (which made Chloe smile) and another with a doe ("how can there be  _ that  _ many different shirts out there with  _ deer  _ on them?" Chloe said).

Chloe gazed at her selection and smiled, saying, "some of these are like what I used to wear a few years ago."

"Nice...but we're not done yet," Max said, guiding Chloe over to a section with hoodies.

Both of them selected black hoodies; Max did so to help with any future "ninja" outfit while Chloe decided it was the best color to cover both a Max Halloween outfit and be something she'd actually wear otherwise.

"Here," Max said, guiding Chloe to a changing room, "you should try these on just to make sure."

Chloe mumbled under her breath and shuffled into the changing room. Max grabbed a pair of skinny jeans that she figured were close enough to Chloe's size and threw them over the top of the changing room door.

"Ow," Chloe said.

"Sorry," Max said, grimacing, "I should've said something. Want me to rewind and erase that?"

"What, and have it be just  _ you  _ remembering that you threw pants on my head? Nope," Chloe said.

Chloe emerged a minute later, a frown on her face and her shoulders hunched.

"Chloe, you look great!" Max said.

Chloe grunted. She wore a blue t-shirt with an image of beer bottles on the front, the black hoodie over it, and the jeans that Max had...delivered to her.

"Hmm, just one thing," Max said, reaching up and plucking the beanie off of Chloe's head. Chloe's eyes turned skyward.

She grunted again.

"Oh, it can't be that bad," Max said.

"Ugh...you're right...it's actually pretty comfortable," Chloe said, "it's just...hipster."

"I won't let you suffer...let's do a selfie and then you can get back to punk world until some future Halloween," Max said.

Max pulled out her camera, stood next to Chloe with an arm around her waist, and snapped a photo.

"Alright, hippie, time to transform back into real me," Chloe said, stepping back into the changing room.

Max shook out the picture and watched it develop as she waited for Chloe. She wasn't surprised to see, next to her own smiling face, Chloe's very different expression: lips pursed to the side and eyes pointed up to the ceiling. Max laughed. She put the photo away and glanced around, finding her eyes drawn to a pair of jeans with small colorful patches sewn on in various spots. Max rushed over and grabbed a pair.

"Hey Chloe?" Max said, "would a pair of  _ these _ fulfill a punk requirement?"

"Say what now?" Chloe said, emerging from the dressing room in her normal outfit.

She looked at the pants that Max held triumphantly in the air.

"Umm…," Chloe said, crossing her arms, "no."

Max's grin vanished.

"But fuck it, it's close enough," Chloe said, smiling.

Max ran into the dressing room to try them on. After emerging with the pants folded neatly in her arms, she had to search for Chloe, finally finding her among shelves with figurines and collectibles.

"Dude," Chloe said as soon as she saw Max, "this stuff is hella sweet."

Max glanced around and smiled; she considered herself something of a nerd culture connoisseur but even  _ she _ couldn't identify everything around them. Among the obvious Star Wars and Harry Potter merchandise were items from far more obscure sources. And on one table was the same glow-in-the-dark figurine that Victoria kept on her shelf.

By the time they were ready to check out, Chloe had gathered a small armful of collectibles. Max couldn't resist either, carrying a plush Polaroid camera that Chloe had found ("What!?" Max had said, her eyes wide, when the grinning Chloe had produced it from behind her back) and a figure that looked remarkably similar to her World of Warcraft character from bygone days.

When they stepped outside, Max glanced over their collected bags.

"We have purchased an obscene amount of stuff," she said.

"Dude, with hella cash comes hella opportunity to spend the cash," Chloe said.

"That...doesn't make sense," Max said.

"Nothing has to make sense when you have hella cash," Chloe said.

Max tilted her head.

"Okay fine, just messing with you," Chloe said, "but hey, we have the extra money. And we're having fun. And we're getting awesome stuff. And, most importantly, from a financial perspective, we totally don't do this every weekend."

"True," Max said, "now...to the mall?"

"Yep yep," Chloe said, "still need to get those ninja clothes."

"Good, because I'm starting to feel hungry," Max said, "and...well...normally I  _ hate _ shopping."

"Really?" Chloe said, "you always loved trying stuff on."

"Well yeah, that's because it was with you...and it was  _ just _ us," Max said, "I don't really like the crowds and the whole...I don't know...the experience is normally just weird. But  _ this _ has been so much fun."

"Yeah...now that I think of it, shopping normally does suck," Chloe said, "huh, we're really fucking up the whole 'women be shopping' thing."

Max snorted and said, "I'm okay with that."

"Me too...fuck that shit," Chloe said, "alright, let's get this done...I'm getting hungry too."

At a department store near the mall, it didn't take them long to find black pants, a black shirt, a black beanie, and black gloves for Max.

"Do you think it might look a little suspicious, checking out with this stuff?" Max said as Chloe grabbed a couple of pairs of black socks.

"Nah," Chloe said, "if they ask, we just say you're...um...going to a Goth convention...or a rave or some shit."

"Ha, can you imagine me as a Goth? Or at a rave?" Max said.

"You'd be a hella cute Goth," Chloe said, "and you at a rave would be hilarious."

"Hilarious? I'd thrash that place  _ down _ , shaka brah," Max said.

"I rest my case," Chloe said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I'm in the midst of a big move (again) but it will hopefully be the last one for a long time. It does mean that my output of chapters may be a bit slower for the next few days. But, with my desktop and books all packed away, editing and posting is really the only thing I can do in my free time! Well, other than watching some TV...speaking of, I just watched the first episode of Westworld Season 2...and holy _shit_...it may not have quite the emotional impact of an interactive story like Life is Strange (or Gone Home or the Bioshock games)...but it is one hell of a mindfuck and so damn good. Random-ass tangent there but you _know_ how it is after you've seen or played something impactful (*cough* end of LiS *cough*).


	17. Artifacts

With bags of loot hanging from their shoulders and arms, Max and Chloe began their trek back to the hotel.

As they passed by a large jewelry store, Max found herself drawn to a bright display with a backdrop of woodland creatures, including butterflies and a pair of deer. She walked over and stared at it, ignoring the sparkling jewelry displayed below.

"G?" Chloe said, turning and walking over, "you want some bling? I don't usually go for stuff that doesn't have skulls or…"

Chloe stopped as she gazed over Max's shoulder.

"Oh...um...Max...you trying to tell me something here?" Chloe said.

"Huh?" Max said, turning to face Chloe.

Chloe pointed down into the display and Max turned back, seeing rows of diamond rings below.

She blushed and stammered, "I...I...um…"

"Max, don't freak out," Chloe said, putting a hand on Max's shoulder, "it's totally okay. I love you, Max. And I...oh shit, you came over here for the butterflies and the deer, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Max said, "I...didn't see the rings until you pointed them out."

"That's...kind of hilarious," Chloe said, a soft smile on her face.

Max looked up, "so...um...what were you saying before? About, you know, loving me and stuff?"

"I...dammit...I was just saying that...shit. This is what happens when I don't pay attention," Chloe said. She took a deep breath and continued, "I love you, Max. And I know that you love me. And...you know...I could see us...er...totally...you know...maybe getting married someday." She blushed furiously.

Max grinned.

"Do you really mean that?" Max said.

"Yeah...yeah I do," Chloe said.

"You said 'I do'," Max said, making an exaggerated gasp.

"Oh shut up," Chloe said, punching Max's arm.

Max stepped forward and threw her arms around Chloe's shoulders, the bags in her hands swinging against Chloe's back. They held each other tightly and only separated when a passerby whistled at them.

"So…," Max said, blushing and releasing Chloe.

"I  _ will  _ want a ring, Max Caulfield," Chloe said, pointing at the display.

"I want a ring too, Chloe Price," Max said, putting her hands on her hips.

"Shit, how does that even work?" Chloe said, scratching her head.

"I think...however we want it to?" Max said.

"I like the way you think, G," Chloe said.

They spent a few minutes at the window pointing at rings...both ones that they liked and ones that they thought were obnoxious.

_ I wonder if I could find a black ring...maybe with a sapphire...that would be perfect for Chloe _ , Max thought as Chloe laughed at an obscenely gaudy ring,  _ and...holy shit...I can't believe we're actually  _ talking  _ about this _ . Max glanced over at Chloe, who was now staring at a ring Max had pointed to earlier,  _ it's so...real. We've talked so much about being there for each other forever...that we'll always be together. And we love each other...so wow, this could really happen. _

Once they ran out of rings to point at, they tore themselves away from the display and continued back to the hotel.

**. . . . .**

They dropped their purchases off in the room, which now had an entire corner devoted to various bags. Then, at the urging of their rumbling stomachs, they hurried out towards the nearest collection of food trucks.

After a quick meal and a detour to find ice cream, they wandered the streets with small sundaes in hand...Max's with a sprinkle of almonds on top and Chloe's with a mountain of fudge and whipped cream. Without any particular destination in mind, they simply walked, making their way through a park and past rows of quaint stores and cafes. They finished their ice cream in a quiet part of town and strolled along a lonely road.

"Looking forward to Blackwell on Monday?" Chloe asked.

Max grunted in response.

"Ha, at least you're not swearing about it like I was," Chloe said, "very good sign."

"Well...I think I'm doing okay with my classes," Max said, "and I  _ am _ actually interested in...um...half of them? Yeah, about half...maybe more."

"You know, if I were in your shoes, I'd be using your particular talents to get an upper hand," Chloe said.

"I...hadn't really thought about that very much," Max said, "I mean...I've used it to answer a couple of questions correctly here and there but…"

"Think about it," Chloe said, "you'd never have to worry about studying for a test since you could just redo it! You could sneak in and get answer sheets for homework and stuff. Low effort, Maximum outcome."

"I hear what you did there," Max said, "but I don't know...it wouldn't really feel right...and I  _ do _ actually want to learn some of this stuff."

Chloe sighed and said, "yeah, I get it...as my experience shows, avoiding work  _ now  _ just means more hard crap later. But what about tests and shit? Memorizing stuff to barf it up on a piece of paper is so nineteenth century. Don't you learn more from  _ doing _ than studying?"

"I...yeah, that's a really good point," Max said, her eyebrows rising.

"Oh, but you haven't heard my killer point yet...get this: less studying means...ready for it? More time with yours truly," Chloe said, striking a pose.

"Hot," Max said with a lopsided grin, "and tempting. I shall consider your proposal. For now though, the powers are only getting used for keeping us safe...and keeping our social lives safe too." She smiled.

"And solving Prescott-related mysteries?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, that too," Max said. She stopped, her brow furrowed...a small tingling sensation tickled at her mind.

Chloe continued on for a few paces before stopping and turning.

"Max? You okay?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, I just...feel something," Max said.

"Like what?" Chloe said, her eyes widening. She walked back to Max, "shit...are you getting creepster vibes?"

"No...it's similar but...not. I...it's hard to describe," Max said, "it's  _ more _ like what I felt when that blue butterfly was in the bathroom...very faint though."

"Er...is that good or bad?" Chloe said.

"It's...it's actually kind of a nice feeling...comforting, in a way," Max said, "except...my memory associated with it isn't the best." She reached out and put a hand to Chloe's stomach, right where Nathan had shot her the first time.

"Well, luckily it turned out differently," Chloe said, moving Max's hand to where the bullet had actually struck.

"Yeah," Max said.

"So...what do you think it is?" Chloe said.

"I don't know...but maybe we can find out," Max said, walking forward and squinting in concentration.

Chloe followed as Max walked slowly up the street.

"It's getting stronger," Max said after a few moments.

She stopped in front of a small wooden door off of the sidewalk. Windows on either side displayed skulls, candles, and crystals of various shapes, all backlit by warm lights. A sign above the door read:  **Arcane Mysteries** .

"Um...you're kidding, right?" Chloe said, "if this is Rachel leading you somehow, I can tell you right now that she's fucking with us."

"Maybe," Max said, "but...the feeling is pretty strong here so I think we should go in."

"Okay," Chloe said, warily glancing up and down the street, "er...do you have an emergency photo on you?"

"Yeah, I've been keeping one in my pocket," Max said, "and I've got the rest here," she patted her messenger bag.

"Good," Chloe said.

Max reached for the door but Chloe stepped in front of her.

"Better let me lead the charge," Chloe said.

She opened the door and stepped in. Max followed and was immediately greeted by an almost overpowering smell of incense.

"Hello hello," a woman's voice called out.

Max and Chloe peeked around a display of witch figurines to see a smiling woman...in her late thirties, Max thought...walking towards them. She wore what looked like a bathrobe topped with an eclectic mix of thin overlapping scarves. Max felt no sense of alarm; still, she kept a finger in her pocket, feeling the edge of the Polaroid photo there.

The woman stopped in front of them, bowed a little, and said, "I'm Miranda. Welcome to Arcane Mysteries," she wiggled her fingers and chuckled, "ridiculous name, I know. My husband chose it...I think he must've been high. But I can't complain...turns out that ridiculous things attract the most  _ interesting  _ people."

She spun and walked with a bounce back into the depths of the store. Max and Chloe looked at one another, shrugged, and followed.

The woman stopped in what seemed to be the center of the store and turned to Chloe, saying, "I love your hair."

"Er...thanks," Chloe said.

"Now, what are you looking for? Anything in particular?" Miranda said.

Chloe looked at Max.

"Um...not sure. I guess we'd just like to look around?" Max said.

"Of course; of course," Miranda said, "let me know if you have any questions."

She disappeared behind a case of crystal balls and Max and Chloe began wandering through the store's maze of shelves.

" _ Do _ you know what we're looking for?" Chloe asked.

"No idea," Max said, "but the feeling is  _ very  _ strong in here."

"Do you think  _ she  _ has something to do with it?" Chloe said, gesturing with a thumb over her shoulder.

"I'm not sure," Max said, "but she seems alright to me."

They made their way back towards the front of the store, too focused on Max's feelings to pay much attention to the store's wares.

"I have an idea," Max said, turning and walking towards a sales counter. They could see Miranda's hair bouncing around behind it.

_ I got these powers at Blackwell, the tornado came to Arcadia Bay, and Prescott's only having us followed  _ in  _ Arcadia Bay _ , Max thought,  _ so maybe all of this supernatural stuff  _ is  _ connected to the town _ .

They approached the counter and Max said, "um...excuse me?"

Miranda spun around and said, "what can I do for you, miss?"

"I was wondering if you have anything from the Oregon coast...Seaside or Cannon Beach? Or, um, Arcadia Bay?" Max said.

"Ah, I was wondering when you might ask something like that," Miranda said.

Max and Chloe looked at each other, eyebrows raised.

"Come with me," Miranda said, stepping out from behind the counter and walking to a bookcase in the back. She grabbed a rope on the side and swung the bookcase out, revealing a passageway behind.

"This is where my most important collection is. Come on, I can't wait to show you," she said, grinning.

Max and Chloe followed her in quietly and Max could practically feel Chloe's tension. Max, however, felt calm...nonetheless, she put her hand into her pocket and grasped the photo there. After much practice with Warren and Kate in the now-erased timeline, she was confident that she'd need only a couple of seconds to jump into any photo.

Miranda pulled a cord and light bulbs sprang to life, revealing dusty cabinets along one wall, shelves along another, some pedestals with objects on them, and a low, free-standing sculpture of some kind in the corner.

"Here, come over to this one," Miranda said, pointing to the sculpture: a circular stone basin of water on the floor with a small wooden platform in front of it. Max stepped closer and saw symbols carved around the rim of both the basin and the platform.

"Max," Chloe whispered, "those look like the same kinds of symbols that Beta Max and I found on that thing in Nathan's safe."

Max nodded. They looked familiar to her too: the same kind as those written on the side of the shack by the lighthouse. The symbols by the lighthouse had made her think of the wind. She stared at the ones around the basin and platform. These made her feel like...waves...like water lapping up against a rocky shore.

"Go ahead and step onto the platform," Miranda said, seeming to bounce in place as she spoke.

Max hesitated.

"Here, let me go first," Chloe said quickly, stepping in front of Max and up onto the platform.

Max froze; a few seconds passed and nothing happened.

Miranda chuckled and said, "it's not dangerous, if that's what you think," her eyes softened and she continued, "and if you thought so, you're a very good friend."

"Thanks," Chloe said, stepping down and keeping her locked eyes on Miranda.

Miranda smiled and Max stepped forward.

The cautious part of her mind was screaming at her to step away...to get out...but her instincts were pushing her forward, insisting that it was safe.

She decided to trust those instincts and stepped up onto the platform….and as soon as both of her feet touched the wood, ripples danced across the water in front of her. Her eyebrows shot up and she immediately stepped down and backed away.

Miranda's eyes widened and she clapped her hands to her mouth.

"Oh my goodness," she said, her voice muffled.

"Oh my goodness," she continued, "I...I don't believe it," she removed her hands from her mouth, "I...I've never met another one."

She leaned forward, lowered her voice, and said, "what...what power do you have?"

Chloe immediately sprang out in front of Max, spreading her arms out. Max ducked behind Chloe's back and slipped the emergency photo out of her pocket.

"Oh no no no," Miranda said, stepping backwards, "I'm so sorry. Please, I don't mean you any harm. See?"

Max lowered the photo and peered around Chloe, watching as Miranda pulled her robe up slightly and stepped up onto the platform. Ripples spread over the water in the basin, just as they had when Max had stood there. She stepped down.

"I...I was just sitting at the counter playing games on my phone when I heard someone say 'Blackwell' so I...started paying attention...and then...I heard you talking about powers," Miranda said.

"Impossible," Chloe said, her eyes narrow, "how could you have heard us? We were a block away. Do you have the alley bugged?"

"No, it's...it's my power," Miranda said, "my senses...I can hear and see things from far away. I heard you from here...from in here. I was so excited...I knew that there might be others but...I've never met anyone else with a power."

She tilted her head to meet Max's eyes.

"And you said you felt something," Miranda said, "something as you came closer to my store? Was it...a kind of tingle in your brain?"

Max nodded.

"I feel it too," Miranda said, "I've always felt something like it around these," she gestured to the items scattered around the room.

Max stared at Miranda...she still felt no real sense of alarm or danger.

_ My instincts are saying that I can trust her _ , Max thought,  _ but...after Jefferson? My instincts failed me there...hardcore. But no...he fooled  _ everyone _...this lady really does seem alright. And...if what she's saying is true, she's like me...another person with a power. And that might mean she has some of the answers we've been looking for. _

Max stepped out from behind Chloe and slipped the photo back into her pocket.

"I...can rewind time," Max said.

Miranda's eyes widened and she said, "that...that's  _ incredible _ ...you're saying that you can go back in time? My goodness...can you...change things?"

Max nodded.

"Wow... _ that's _ why you were saying you could pass tests without studying. I...the implications of that are enormous. Being able to change the past..."

"No kidding," Chloe said.

Max put a hand on Chloe's shoulder and felt Chloe's shoulders relax.

"It's been...interesting," Max said, "and your power sounds...really amazing...we haven't met anyone else with powers either. And we had no idea that there were these...um... _ things _ from Arcadia Bay. What do they do?"

"Here," Miranda said, smiling widely, "let me show you another really cool one."

She bounced over to a pedestal with a stone disk sitting on it and motioned them over. A thin wooden rod extended up and inwards from the edge of the disk; a small stone was suspended from the end of the rod with a string. As they got closer, Max could see that, along with the familiar strange symbols, there were larger emblems along the rim of the disk. Max squinted: the larger symbols were pictograms of animals. Most were easily recognizable; some she could barely make out.

"What does it do?" Max asked...although she already had a fairly good idea.

"This one...well, it tells you what your spirit animal is," Miranda said.

Chloe raised an eyebrow and Miranda continued, "I know...I thought  _ all _ of this stuff was crazy hippie garbage until it suddenly started mattering."

"How does it work?" Max asked, circling around the pedestal.

"Oh, you just touch it and the little stone will swing," Miranda said, "here…"

She stepped forward and touched a finger to the side of the disk. Max's eyes widened as the stone drifted outwards as if pulled by a magnet. She looked closely and saw that the stone hovered above an image of a bird.

"It's a hawk," Miranda said, removing her finger, "supposedly that's my spirit animal." She shrugged.

Max stepped forward and pressed her fingertip to the stone; she felt a small shot of adrenaline as the stone jumped out to hover above what was unmistakably the image of a deer.

"Ha, no surprise there," Chloe said.

Miranda raised an eyebrow and Chloe said, "oh...um...she's got a thing with deer."

She pointed at Max's chest; Max was wearing one of her doe shirts.

"Ah," Miranda said, smiling, "and do you want to see what yours is?"

"Me?" Chloe said, "that thing will work on  _ me _ ?"

"It works on everyone," Miranda said, "my husband doesn't have a power but it works on him...says he's a squirrel."

"He knows about your power?" Max said.

"Yes...I always thought that it wouldn't be right for me to keep it a secret from the person closest to me...a feeling you seem to share," Miranda said, gesturing to Chloe.

Chloe gingerly extended a finger towards the disk.

"Please let it not be a banana slug," Chloe mumbled.

As soon as her finger touched the disk, the stone swung out and settled above the image of a butterfly.

"Sweet," Chloe said with a smile, "we can totally get that tattoo now."

Max smiled back and turned to Miranda, saying, "what does your spirit animal have to do with...any of this stuff?"

"I can't be one hundred percent sure," Miranda said, "I've been trying for  _ years _ to figure these powers out...ever since I received mine. But the sources of information are few and far between, as you can imagine. But my sorta-informed guess is that the spirit animal is...symbolic, really...a reflection of your personality...your energy...your soul...however the heck you want to interpret it. When we can't comprehend the essence of something, we turn to symbols. But...I've read something that suggested that there's a little more to it than that."

Both Max and Chloe leaned closer.

"It sounds like your...um...flavor of spirit might just determine what kind of power you get...er...if you get one."

She shrugged and continued, "but...since we only have a sample size of two, we can't really tell for sure."

"So...if what you read was right," Chloe said, "then hawk people have super-senses and deer people have time powers...any idea what a rockin' butterfly chick would get if she had superpowers?"

Miranda chuckled and shook her head, "I've never actually found anything about hawk, deer,  _ or _ butterfly spirits. I only ever found a scrap that suggested that...um...rabbit people might get the power to hide...to avoid notice...I always wondered if that meant someone with a rabbit spirit might get the power to become invisible." She grinned.

"Dude, that would be so rad," Chloe said, her eyes lighting up.

"Oh Chloe, you would abuse that power so much," Max said.

"That's correct," Chloe said and Miranda laughed, "but if I had to guess, I'd think my power would be to deliver sick ass burns."

"Fire?" Max said, her eyes wide.

"Oh, I meant verbally...but fire would be pretty cool," Chloe said, "Chloe the Firebender; I could get behind that."

"Chloe, you already have the power to deliver sick verbal burns," Max said, putting a hand on Chloe's arm and continuing dramatically, "it was in you all along."

"Oh, and I'm sorry," Max continued, turning to Miranda, "we...um...never actually introduced ourselves. I'm Max Caulfield and this is Chloe Price."

Miranda's brow furrowed at Chloe's name but she quickly smiled and shook both Max and Chloe's hands.

"It is such a pleasure to meet the both of you," Miranda said with a grin, "and you can call me either Miranda or Molly...my original name was Molly. I go by either."

"Oh, why the name change?" Chloe said.

Miranda's smile faltered.

"I...wasn't quite sure it was safe to keep my original name," she said, "and my husband changed his too." She took a seat on a large rock carved into the shape of a tree stump and motioned Max and Chloe to a pair of chairs.

Max and Chloe glanced at each other and sat down.

"When you were walking here," Miranda said, her voice lowering, "I heard you say 'Prescott-related mysteries'...were you referring to the Prescott family in Arcadia Bay?"

They nodded and Max said, "are you from Arcadia Bay?"

Miranda smiled a small smile and said, "oh yes, and I was attending Blackwell when I got my powers. It's...kind of a crazy story: some friends and I were out in the forest and got separated...I ended up  _ so _ completely lost. I sort of freaked out...embarrassing, really. But then I started...hearing things. It was insane. I sort of held my hand out and could hear and see pretty much  _ anything _ wherever I pointed my hand. I heard my friends off in the distance...but then I heard a woman crying nearby. I went to the crying woman first...she'd broken her leg and was stuck out there all alone. I helped her up and over to my friends and we got her to the hospital. One hell of a crazy night. And then after that, the powers stuck with me...I could see clearly all the way to the  _ lighthouse _ from Blackwell...and I could hear what was going on in every room in the dorm."

"Damn...I bet that got awkward as fuck," Chloe said.

"Oh, I always had the dirt on  _ everyone _ ," Miranda said, "although...I always felt a little bad about it. I heard a lot of very private things. But at the same time, it  _ did _ help me fix more than one friendship and helped me stop some things that...that could've been bad. That made it worth it."

_ Wowser _ , Max thought,  _ she kind of sounds like me...except instead of snooping and rewinding, she listened in on everything. I wonder if she had a Kate-on-the-rooftop incident. I hope not...and those are probably questions for another time. Instead... _

"Did you know of anyone else at Blackwell with powers?" Max said.

"You're the first that I've met," Miranda said, "but I've heard and read rumors about others. A homeless woman who spent most of her time near that diner near the waterfront told me a story about a girl who could move things with her mind."

"Dude, she told us the same thing!" Chloe said.

"Really?" Miranda said, an eyebrow rising, "that's fascinating. I'd wondered back then if she'd just been crazy...but if she was consistent about it after so many years, maybe there's more than a grain of truth to it."

"Do you...know where the powers come from?" Max said.

"Not really," Miranda said, frowning, "I've read about a few instances...there's not much out there but they do have a few things in common. First: they're vague as all hell. Second: all of them came from the Arcadia Bay area, which suggests that there's some power there."

"Ms. Grant said something about that to me once," Max said, "but I doubt she was thinking about superpowers...unless, holy shit, I wonder if  _ Ms. Grant _ has powers."

Miranda chuckled and said, "I wish I could help you there but you'd have to drag her out  _ here _ ...the Basin over there isn't very portable."

"I guess so...and sorry, I interrupted you...what are the other common things about the powers?" Max said.

"No problem...it's great to be able to talk with someone else about this! Let's see...third: it  _ seems _ that people receive their powers in their late teens or early twenties. And fourth: in all of the instances I read about, the people who received powers were women," Miranda said.

"Aww, fuck yeah," Chloe said, high fiving both Max and Miranda.

Max grinned and turned back to Miranda, saying, "anything else?"

"Yes, actually," Miranda said, "it seems very clear that the powers come to young women...and perhaps some men...can't discount the possiblity...with  _ artistic  _ inclinations. I'm guessing that you're something of an arts person, Max?"

"Yeah, I'm a photographer," Max said.

"A hella good photographer," Chloe said.

"Ah, that's  _ wonderful _ ," Miranda said, clapping her hands together, "so you must have gone to Blackwell for photo…," her expression darkened, "oh...I'm so sorry, Max...you must have had Mark Jefferson as a teacher."

Max tensed and nodded.

"I read about what happened," Miranda said, sighing, "I'd been so proud of my old school for nabbing an instructor who seemed like  _ such _ a talented artist...and…," her eyes widened, "ah,  _ Chloe Price _ ."

"Um...yeah?" Chloe said.

"I  _ thought _ I'd seen your name somewhere before," Miranda said, "you were the one who was shot at Blackwell by Sean Prescott's son?"

Chloe nodded and pointed at her side with a lopsided grin.

"I'm so sorry," Miranda said, shaking her head, "those damn Prescotts are nothing but trouble...I've been so happy that Blackwell has been putting so many resources into the arts...but at the same time, so much of that money came from the Prescotts. I suppose it's a matter of karma that it would bring someone like Mark Jefferson there."

She shook her head again.

"So...about those damn Prescotts?" Chloe said.

"Oh right...yes..you should be  _ very  _ careful with them," Miranda said, leaning in, "I've been researching the history of Arcadia Bay history for many years now...and the Prescotts are in  _ deep _ with the supernatural side of it...although it's anyone's guess as to how much they  _ really _ know. As far as I can tell, it was Sean's mother that really got the ball rolling...her name is practically  _ everywhere _ in Arcadia Bay artifacts and historical research. She bought up anything they could find back in the day...art, sculptures, writings...all of it. I'm so glad she didn't get her grubby paws on  _ everything _ ," she gestured at her own small collection of Arcadia Bay's history.

"Wait...how many of these magic knick-knacks are out there?" Chloe said.

"The native artisans of the Arcadia Bay area were quite prolific," Miranda said, "at least from what I've heard. However, between disease, white settlement, and what sounded like an erosion of old traditions, many of the works were sold off, trashed, or simply lost. And there was at least one big natural disaster back in the day that wrecked a lot of it. But I've kept close enough tabs to know that there are still a few dozen of these artifacts around. Most of them are stashed away in some Prescott vault, I'm sure. But," she smiled, "while the Prescotts have most of it buttoned up tight, I've been poking my nose into every little bit that I could. I even got ahold of some fascinating papers before Prescott bought them from a museum...one of my very good friends works at the Oregon History Museum and he let me look through them as they were heading out the door! Almost all of the information I have came from those papers."

"And where did you get  _ these _ ?" Max said, gesturing around the room.

"Oh, I've slowly built this small collection up over the years...this one," Miranda said, tapping the spirit animal disk and causing the dangling stone to swing, "I found in an old warehouse by the waterfront in Arcadia Bay when I went back many years ago. The Basin over there, capital B, I received from an old friend who didn't want Prescott to get it."

"Captial B? These artifacts have official names?" Max said.

"Some," Miranda said, "those 'fascinating papers' I mentioned before named some of them. The papers were letters written by a young man named Todd...don't know much about him other than that he ended up in Arcadia Bay, learned the local language, and was a frequent guest of the remaining natives. The people there...they had a very different set of rituals and traditions than any of their neighbors. Even the writing...no one else in the region ever used symbols like that. And because the Prescotts have most of the samples, not much research has been done. But way back then, most of the artifacts that had survived were still in the hands of the natives...and Todd recorded a list."

"So you know about  _ all _ of the artifacts?" Max said, her eyes wide.

"No, unfortunately," Miranda said, shaking her head, "many of the pages were damaged. For instance, there wasn't  _ anything _ about this spirit animal disk. I only know what it does because it's gosh-darn obvious. Same with the Basin...the name and description were in the papers...but not what it  _ does _ ."

"What about some of the others?" Chloe said, pointing to some of the other objects in the room.

"Hmm," Miranda said, turning to gaze over the rest of her collection, "well, unfortunately I don't know what those two stick things are...they have the distinctive symbols on them but I've never seen them do anything and couldn't find a description in Todd's letters. And that one...the one that looks like a Newton's Cradle? That one is called the Spirit Stones...supposedly they move by themselves when a 'spirit' of some kind is around. I've never seen them move so I can't say much about it. Of course I haven't charged it in years…"

"What do you mean by 'charge' it?" Max said.

"Oh, right," Miranda said, "all of these things stop working if they're outside of Arcadia Bay for too long...including me! Well, my power at least. So I go back every six months or so...I bring the stone from the spirit animal disk and take some water back with me for the Basin. Seems to keep everything running."

"What about the other artifacts? The ones you don't have?" Chloe said.

"Still not much info," Miranda said, "only a few descriptions from Todd's papers survived...I know there's one that Todd called the Sundial. No idea what it does but Prescott's got it. Odd thing is that the description of the Sundial wasn't missing...it was deliberately inked over. I won't lie...that keeps me up at night every once in a while...Todd seemed like a pretty righteous dude...if he wanted to hide something, there must have been a reason. And then there's the one that worries me whenever I go back to Arcadia Bay: the Water Ring."

"Why does it worry you?" Max said.

"First: Prescott has it. Second: its purpose is to detect when someone is using a power," Miranda said.

"Fuck," Chloe said.

"You mean...every time I use my powers…," Max said.

"If he keeps the Water Ring filled, drops of water apparently fall to the side instead of down," Miranda said, nodding.

Max and Chloe looked at each other, concern etched on both of their faces.

"Don't worry  _ too  _ much," Miranda said, "it can't tell him  _ where  _ you are or  _ who  _ you are. And because of the...nature of your powers, there wouldn't necessarily be any evidence that you had done something, right?"

"True…," Max said.

" _ And _ that assumes that he's bothering to keep it filled with water... _ and _ paying attention to it," Miranda said, "for all we know, he may have it locked in a vault somewhere."

"No kidding," Chloe said, sharing a look with Max.

"With so many papers and artifacts in their hands, I've always suspected that the Prescott family knows about the powers," Miranda said, sighing, "and, to be honest, I suspect he might be trying to  _ do _ something."

"Er... _ do _ something?" Max said.

"Yes...you see...a few months after I received my powers... _ things _ started happening," Miranda said.

"Things?" Chloe said.

"Yes," Miranda said, "it seems so ridiculous but...I couldn't shake the feeling...you see, bad things started happening. First it was my parents...they were moving out of Arcadia Bay and there were several accidents while they were packing up. Ladders broke, the moving truck started rolling when it was supposed to be parked...things like that. All had reasonable explanations: a loose bolt, a disengaged parking brake...but that wasn't all."

She leaned in.

"My husband was my boyfriend at the time," she said, "and someone cut the brakes on his car. He was nearly killed. And that wasn't all. I counted at least three other accidents that happened near him over the months."

"What about you?" Max said, "did anything happen to you?"

"No, nothing," Miranda said, "just them."

"And you think Prescott was behind it?" Chloe said.

"I don't know...but I saw someone leaving the scene of one of those accidents," Miranda said, "a falling beam broke my husband's leg. And then I saw that same person leaving a Prescott business later. That was my first clue. Then I noticed that I was being followed...the same car. I used my power to listen and look and I heard the man behind the wheel talking about reporting my movements. I never heard who he was reporting to...but I figured there was only one person in town with the resources to do that kind of thing. And the Prescotts have had a bad reputation in Arcadia Bay for generations. It was all speculation but then, a few days later, I received a message in the mail asking my boyfriend and I to a meeting...at a Prescott-owned shipyard."

Max and Chloe were leaning in, eyes wide.

"What did you do?" Max said.

"We left," Miranda said, "my Blackwell degree was in the bag at that point and my parents had already moved...so my husband and I loaded up our cars and drove out immediately. I'd told him about my powers by then...and about my Prescott worries. The car that had been following us continued to follow us past the edge of town and then turned back. We came out to Portland first and rented a...shithole of an apartment, to use my husband's words. Then a letter came...very official-looking...asking me to return to collect things from Blackwell. I  _ knew  _ I hadn't left anything so I knew it was fake...and that freaked us out so much that we packed up again and drove to Sacramento, changed our names, changed our appearances, everything."

"Fuuuuck," Chloe said.

"If it  _ was  _ Prescott, we didn't know at the time how far he might have followed us...and we  _ still  _ don't know what he wanted or was trying to do," Miranda said, "then after a few months, when my power started to fade, we began to suspect that it was all tied to Arcadia Bay. We snuck back, my powers returned, and we made some connections with old friends. We started digging into Arcadia Bay's history, found some artifacts, found some papers, and moved to Portland to be close enough. It's been a few years now and we feel...pretty safe. We know a lot more than we used to and haven't heard a peep from Prescott."

"Damn," Chloe said.

Max opened her mouth to respond but paused...her intended question about being followed by a car was overridden by an image of the tornado in the bay floating to the top of her mind...followed quickly by the idea that the Prescotts might have known about it in advance.

"Um...did you ever happen to see any...visions of a storm?" Max said, "a huge tornado in Arcadia Bay?"

Miranda tilted her head, "no, never. I don't think I've ever had a vision of anything."

"Did any...unnatural things happen after you got your powers?" Max said.

"Well...come to think of it, if I focus really hard and look at something very distant or listen to something very specific, drowning out other sounds...which took  _ forever  _ to learn how to do...then sometimes I feel an odd chill or a gust of wind or something," Miranda said, "took me a while to notice that particular correlation."

Max nodded.

"Since you asked, I'm guessing that  _ you _ saw a vision of a storm of some kind?" Miranda said.

"Yeah...and...you'll be glad you're sitting down for this," Max said, getting a nod from Chloe.

**. . . . .**

Max told the story of the erased week, along with details about the days that replaced and followed it (leaving out the most personal bits, of course) and Miranda sat in rapt attention. During the entire course of the story, she only interrupted once to ask about Rachel, since she'd heard Max and Chloe mention her outside of the shop...Max shared a glance with Chloe and Chloe quietly described their connection to Rachel before Max resumed the story.

"...and so now we're being followed around in Arcadia Bay by PIs hired by Prescott...and like with you, they didn't follow us after we left Arcadia Bay," Max finished.

Miranda sat for a moment, biting her lower lip and tapping her foot.

Several times, she seemed about to speak but stopped, her brow furrowed.

Finally, she said, "that is the most incredible story I've ever heard. I can't begin to say how sorry I am for what you went through...both of you. That's...a hard thing to experience...and...a very confusing thing to experience."

They both nodded.

"And I've never come across anything in my research about a storm like you described," Miranda said, her brow furrowed again.

_ Shit _ , Max thought.

"Although," Miranda continued, holding her chin, "there  _ was  _ some significance tied to natural disasters in some of the writings. There was one disaster prominently mentioned, one that destroyed much of the original village...and Todd's writings alluded to other tales revolving around disasters...but he included only scant details. I'd always assumed that they were probably earthquakes or tsunamis...and that, like most cultures, the people there had wrapped them into their legends and beliefs."

She paused.

"There are so many things to unpack from your story," she continued, "it's...extraordinary. I'm sorry that I don't have more information to help."

"That's okay," Max said, "really...you've given us  _ so _ much more to go on. We know way more about my powers, Arcadia Bay, and the Prescotts...and  _ any _ information can give us an edge in figuring this out."

Chloe nodded.

"I'm happy to help however I can," Miranda said, "and please do be careful. You have one heck of a power, Max...but if you and Chloe see any signs that Prescott might harm you, I suggest you pack up and leave Arcadia Bay. You're more than welcome to stay with me if you need to."

"Thanks, Miranda," Max said with a smile.

"Yeah, thanks," Chloe said.

"I promise at the very least that we'll let you know what happens," Max said.

Miranda smiled and stood up, stretching.

Max and Chloe rose also. As Max turned, she bumped into a pedestal and it began to tip over, a small object on top starting to slide.

"Whoa!" Chloe said, reaching out and grabbing the pedestal, stopping both it and the object on top from toppling to the floor.

"Sorry," Max said, "I'm a huge klutz."

Miranda laughed and said, "that's okay. I suppose if you'd broken it, you would just rewind to fix it."

Max smiled.

"Hey," Chloe said, staring at the object on the pedestal, "we've seen this before!"

"We have?" Max said, turning to look.

"Yeah, well...er...it was me and Beta Max but we totally saw one of these cylinders when we...um...visited Nathan's apartment," Chloe said.

"Did you touch it?" Miranda said, smiling.

"Um...yeah," Chloe said.

"And what happened?" Miranda said.

"There was...it was like an electrical shock, but only when Max handed it to me," Chloe said.

Miranda chuckled.

"What?" Chloe said.

"Well, according to Todd's notes, these little cylinders served a highly ceremonial purpose. According to the traditions of the people who crafted them, the two of you are married," Miranda said, "so...congratulations."

Max and Chloe looked at each other.

Chloe grinned and punched Max in the arm, saying, "dude, where's my ring?"

"Where's  _ your _ ring?" Max said, punching her back, "where's  _ my  _ ring?"

**. . . . .**

"You said there are some artifacts in museums and with other collectors?" Max said as they returned to the front area of the shop.

"A few, here and there," Miranda said, "the ones still held by museums are pretty safe...I doubt Prescott could get his hands on them. As for private collections...I suspect Prescott has most of them and  _ I _ probably have the second largest set. But," Miranda sighed, "I did hear that Prescott will be getting his hands on another one."

"Shit...what is it?" Chloe said.

"A bracelet," Miranda said, "Todd's notes on it weren't in great shape but based on what I could make out, it sounded like it might...enhance the powers of the person wearing it...a little boost, if you will. Fat load of good it will do in Prescott's hands, sitting in a drawer somewhere. I've heard that he's been trying for  _ years  _ to persuade this guy here in Portland, John Lee, to sell it. Prescott must have finally worn him down or offered some obscene amount of money because Lee went out to Arcadia Bay last week to talk to Prescott and he's apparently going back out on Monday to sell it...rotten luck."

"Wow, I wouldn't mind getting my hands on something like  _ that _ ...having a little extra power would be  _ really _ useful at times," Max said, recalling the excruciating headache after rewinding outside of the PI office...and then she thought of Kate on the rooftop.

_ If I'd had a boost to my powers  _ then _ , would I have lost them by the time I got up to the roof? _ Max thought.

"I wouldn't mind it either," Miranda said.

They strode to the door and Miranda wrapped both Max and Chloe in a hug.

"Please come by whenever you're in the area," she said, "and if you can't find me here at the shop, here's my card; my number's there...call if you need  _ anything _ ."

"Or you'll hear us coming," Chloe said.

Miranda chuckled and then her face darkened.

"And do be careful," she said.

They bade her farewell and walked back the way they'd came, silent with their own thoughts.

**. . . . .**

Finally, as they strolled through a narrow park, Chloe said, "Max, do you think we should just get the hell out of Arcadia Bay and change our names and shit, like they did?"

"I don't know," Max said after a moment, "I guess...we'd know for sure we'd be safe."

_ I'd know for sure  _ you'd  _ be safe _ , Max thought.

"Yeah," Chloe said, "I could totally see it: we take off in the truck...pick out some badass new names. Dye our hair. Change our styles. Hide out."

Max snorted and said, "what would you change your hair color to? Back to blonde? Purple? Red? Orange?"

"All of the above?" Chloe said, "no idea."

"We couldn't go too far though," Max said, sighing, "since I apparently have to hike back to Arcadia Bay to recharge my batteries."

"We could take Miranda up on her offer...shack up with her and her husband," Chloe said.

"Maybe...but how long do you think it would take before they kicked out the obnoxious punk and the pretentious hipster?" Max said.

"Eight minutes," Chloe said.

Max chuckled and said, "you know, we might not have to change our names or any of that...we could just move away. Like Miranda said, it looks like Prescott sticks to Arcadia Bay and doesn't bother with much outside of it."

"True dat," Chloe said, "but what do we do until you graduate? And what if we stick around for a while after? We might be okay...after all, no one knows what Prescott was up to...you know, going after Miranda's friends and shit."

"Maybe those  _ were  _ all coincidences," Max said, shrugging, "doesn't seem like it...but we haven't had anything like that happen to us."

"Oh really?" Chloe said, "what about this?" she pointed to her side and continued, "and Kate? And Rachel?"

"Rachel was before I got there," Max said softly, "and I can't imagine that Prescott was able to orchestrate the whole thing with Kate...too many moving parts. That was just Mark Jefferson, Nathan, a bunch of people being shitty...and a girl in a really tough place."

"True," Chloe said, brow furrowed, "and I guess there haven't been wacky accidents happening to me or my mom or Warren or Kate or...you get the picture."

Max thought back to Beta Max's journal, recalling her notes about their interrogation of Nathan.

"I do wonder though…," Max said.

"Wonder what?" Chloe said after a moment.

"About Nathan shooting you," Max said, "Beta Max wrote that he dodged questions about the incident...and about his father."

"Yeah...obviously I didn't catch most of that but even what I did see...he was one cagey motherfucker about that shit," Chloe said.

"It couldn't have been staged though...that doesn't make sense at all," Max said, "after all,  _ you _ were the one who set up the meeting, I didn't have my powers yet, and there's no way someone could control how a situation like that would play out."

Chloe nodded.

"And," Max continued, "speaking of that incident, we're no closer to figuring out what the hell was up with the storm."

"You think there's a connection between the storm and Nathan being a cagey motherfucker?" Chloe said.

"There are a lot of weird clues that would seem to indicate that Nathan and his father knew  _ something _ about a storm...but even  _ those _ could be coincidences," Max said, "and how could they possibly have known that  _ that _ incident would cause the storm. They had no idea I would be there or anything."

She grunted in frustration and continued, "maybe it  _ would  _ be safer for us to just bail on Arcadia Bay...move to Portland and start over. I can use my power to help us get by until we get rolling."

"But then we may never find out what the hell is actually going on," Chloe said quietly.

"I know," Max said.

"And pirates don't run away from danger!" Chloe said.

"Chloe, pirates  _ totally  _ run away from danger," Max said.

"Not these pirates, Long Max Silver," Chloe said, "these pirates are bold, foolish, and hella awesome."

"Maybe...maybe you're right," Max said.

_ There's a lot here to be worried about...but if I'm not going to let Mark Jefferson take photography away from me, I'm not going to let Sean Prescott take away my education, my scholarship, my friends...everything else I now have in Arcadia Bay _ , Max thought, clenching her fists,  _ I'll leave there when we're damn well  _ ready _ to leave _ .

"What you thinking?" Chloe said.

"I'm thinking that we can't let Prescott drive us away from our home," Max said, "not before we're  _ ready _ to find a new home."

" _ Yes _ !" Chloe said, "that's what I'm talking about...fuck that shit...and fuck Sean Prescott...and his collection of dusty antiques."

"Yeah...fuck Sean Prescott and his horrible parenting too," Max said.

"Yep yep. Fuck Sean Prescott and his rich snob bullshit," Chloe said.

"Fuck Sean Prescott and his dumb Pan Estates," Max said.

"Fuck Sean Prescott and his stupid fucking face!" Chloe said.

They laughed, walking back onto the street where they'd purchased ice cream.

"I'm so glad that Portland is immune to all that shit," Chloe said, putting an arm around Max's shoulders.

"Yeah," Max said, "now I want to come here every weekend."

"Ha, tell me about it," Chloe said, "but our cash reserves wouldn't survive that. Hey, maybe we should build a new pirate fort outside of town! We could add plumbing and electricity...make it totally legit."

"So...add an outhouse and a crank-up battery?" Max said.

Chloe elbowed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The bit in the beginning with the jewelry store was one of the few segments that I brought back from the chopping block. It doesn't _really_ add very much to this story...but I thought it was cute and I ended up liking it enough to put it back in.  
>  Also, I received a comment that the NSFW tags that I've been putting at the top of several of the chapters can be a bit spoiler-ish and may not be necessary. I've definitely been erring on the side of warning against pretty much _anything_ that could cause embarrassment if someone reads it over your shoulder. But the comment makes a really good point so I'm currently reevaluating how I'll treat those tags. I may remove them completely and rely on the story's rating to indicate that there's NSFW content in here without specifying where it is. Or I may just put the tag in front of chapters where the content is way more on the explicit side. Let me know if you have an opinion either way...I'm probably going to decide on what to do with that before releasing the next chapter.


	18. All the Way

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has NSFW content.

Before they reached the hotel, Chloe said, "we need something to drink," and walked into a liquor store at a nearby corner. She emerged a few minutes later with a brown bag.

"Yo, Frank was totally right about that place," Chloe said, holding the bag up triumphantly, "no problem."

They returned to their room and Chloe put the bag into the room's fridge. They then collapsed onto the couch, with Max resting her head on Chloe's shoulder.

"It's been a long day," Max said.

"Yeah...a pretty damn  _ good _ day...but crazy as fuck too," Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said.

"And now I need a shower," Chloe said, "want to join?"

Max's eyes widened at the invitation.

"Er...I don't think I'm quite ready for that," Max said, "but...ask me again next time."

"I will totally take you up on that," Chloe said, grinning.

Max sat up and stretched her arms, yawning.

"I think I'll take a shower too," she said.

Chloe stood up and pulled her shirt off.

"Wowser, you waste no time, do you?" Max said.

"Nope," Chloe said, hopping towards one of the bathrooms as she pulled her pants off, "see you in a few minutes, Saxy Maxy. I'll be thinking of you."

"Oh, I know you will," Max said as Chloe disappeared into the bathroom, her pants flying back out moments later.

Max grinned and walked to the other bathroom, grabbing a new pair of underwear on the way. She nearly grabbed her pajamas as well but shrugged and left them behind. She undressed and got into the shower, relishing the warm water and letting out a deep breath. Her mind wandered back to Miranda's store and the artifacts: her brow furrowed as she mentally poked and prodded at the information they'd gained...none of which she'd fully processed yet...replaying the conversations and trying to dig deeper...

"Hey, Max! I'm all wet and soapy, just for you!" Chloe called out.

Max grinned and shook her head.

"Me too, Chloe, me too!" Max called back. It wasn't quite true...she'd been simply standing under the water...so she quickly grabbed some soap and rubbed it on her arms and chest. It felt much better to tell the truth, even with something so small.

"Pics or it didn't happen!" Chloe called back.

"Are you asking me for a shower selfie?" Max said.

"I plead the Fifth!" Chloe said.

"You can't do that with your girlfriend!" Max called back.

"Damn," Chloe said, "I'll just have to distract you then...to make you forget I asked. So, imagine me. I'm totally naked...um...obviously. I've got soap all over me and the water is slowly...so slowly...washing it off."

"You have me distracted!" Max called out...it wasn't a lie.

"Awesome, then I shall let you shower," Chloe said.

In the silence that followed, Max found that her mind wouldn't return to the thoughts she'd been working on before...Chloe had well and truly distracted her. Instead of artifacts and storms, she was imagining  _ exactly  _ what Chloe had described.

_ I bet Chloe suspected that I was thinking about the supernatural stuff _ , Max thought,  _ maybe not...but either way, I bet she's trying to keep my mind off of the serious stuff...at least for a little while. She's always known how to make things feel better...brighter... _ that's a _ side of her I hadn't seen in a while. _

Max shook her head and went through the routines of showering, her mind still fixed on Chloe...and then her mind wandered to last night. The memory sent a jolt of adrenaline through her...she hadn't thought about it at  _ all  _ since the morning. She bit her lower lip as she thought of what they'd done...and realized that she wanted to do it again...that she  _ really _ wanted to do it again.

_ I must be getting a taste of how Chloe feels,  _ Max thought,  _ I wonder if horniness is contagious. And speaking of, how is it that Chloe didn't mention what happened last night once...a minute...all day? Normally she'd be all over that...I guess she really  _ does  _ want me to be completely comfortable with this. And if  _ I'm  _ standing in here positively drooling over the idea of doing more, she must be going kind of crazy. And to think, just a few days ago, she seemed so selfish...so focused on her own needs and desires...but now? I guess when it comes down to it, she's a damn good girlfriend. _

Max started to replay the previous night in her head...savoring each little detail of memory...every texture and shape that her fingers encountered...and feeling Chloe's breath growing faster and noisier against Max's shoulder...and then Chloe's hand sliding down…

Her thoughts were interrupted when Chloe called out, "hey Max, you still in the shower?"

"Yeah!" Max said, realizing that her hand had been creeping to her thigh.

_ Oops _ , Max thought,  _ I...wow, I am  _ really _...um...distracted. Yeah, that's the word I'll use _ .

"Good," Chloe said, "because I forgot to bring underwear into the bathroom. So I'm going to be walking around the room naked. So, unless you want to evaluate my birthday suit...and I totally wouldn't mind if you did, stay where you are. For, like, 30 seconds."

Max's heart melted a little at that.

_ She  _ totally  _ wants me to check out her birthday suit _ , Max thought,  _ and she could've just hung out and waited for me to find her...surprise! But there she is again putting my comfort over her desires. But now? I think...I think I want to put her desires...and mine...at the top _ .

Max finished her shower and toweled off. She glanced over at the neatly folded underwear that she'd placed by the sink. She tilted her head.

_ What will it be? _ she thought,  _ go bold? Grab life by the horns or whatever? Grab life by the horniness, I guess? Although...if I walk out there naked, Chloe might think I've been replaced by a pod person or something. Or maybe…, _ she smiled,  _ maybe I can have my cake and eat it too _ .

Max wrapped the towel around herself and, leaving her underwear behind, took a breath and stepped out into the room.

Chloe stood over at the window, facing away from Max and staring down at the street below through a narrow slit in the curtains. She wore only a pair of bright red underwear with numerous cartoon-like orange and yellow explosions.

_ Appropriate _ , Max thought, a swooping sensation of excited nervousness shooting through her.

She walked quietly towards Chloe, her heart pounding. Max wasn't a particularly bold person...she nearly stopped and turned around with each step. She found herself hypersensitive to the space around her: the rough hotel carpet beneath her feet, the damp towel hugged tight around her body, the artificial breeze wafting through the room, tickling at her skin.

She stopped a few paces from Chloe.

_ Er...what do I even say? How am I supposed to be romantic and sexy and stuff?  _ Max thought,  _ ugh, way to stumble into something that I have absolutely  _ no  _ experience with. Alright, look at it from Chloe's perspective...it doesn't matter how I say it or do it, she's going to be completely on board. In all of the years we've known each other, I've  _ always  _ been the awkward one and she's never given me  _ real  _ shit about it. I...guess that's love. _

Max took a deep breath.

"Hey…," she started to say...but the sound didn't make it past her lips.

_ Shit, I am  _ really  _ nervous, _ Max thought, taking another breath,  _ okay...what do I want here? I want to have sex with Chloe...wowser...and...and I know she wants it too. And if I somehow manage to fuck it up royally, I can just rewind. I probably  _ wouldn't  _ do that...but it's always an option _ .

She took another deep breath.

"Hey, Chloe?" she said, surprised at how calm her voice sounded.

Chloe jumped and spun around, saying, "dude, you really  _ are  _ a ninja. I didn't hear...um...you going to a toga party?"

Max chuckled and grimaced at the same time, producing a uniquely bizarre expression.

"Oh," Chloe continued, "you forgot underwear too? I can totally hang out in the bathroom while you put on your pastel panties."

"Er...no, not exactly," Max said and Chloe, who had started to turn towards the bathroom, stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"I...um...well," Max started, staring down at Chloe's legs.

_ Max Caulfield, Queen of the Awkward _ , Max thought.

"I was wondering if you...you know...if you wanted…," Max continued, her face blushing and her eyes darting around, refusing to meet Chloe's.

"Max," Chloe said, and Max looked up to see Chloe with a smile on her face and her arms crossed, "maybe it would be easier if you said what  _ you _ want."

_ Ah fuck it _ , Max said, feeling a surge of courage...or maybe just adrenaline.

"Chloe, I want to have sex...with you," Max said.

Chloe's arms fell and her mouth dropped open.

"I...whoa...like, now?" Chloe said.

Max nodded.

"Wowser, I wasn't expecting the home run question," Chloe said.

"Sorry," Max said, "I wasn't quite sure how to...you know...bring it up."

"What? Don't apologize," Chloe said, chuckling, "you just caught me off guard. And...um...are you sure?"

"Sure?" Max said.

"That you want to sex it up?" Chloe said, "I mean, I know we were totally feeling each other up last night but...I want to make sure you're not feeling rushed."

"Do you...want to?" Max said.

"Hell yeah," Chloe said, her entire face brightening, "but...I  _ really  _ want to make sure that  _ you _ want to."

Max let out a breath and, with another nervous shot of adrenaline, she let go of her towel, allowing it to drop to the floor around her feet.

For a second time, Chloe's mouth fell open.

"Wow...you...make your point very well, G," Chloe finally said.

Max smiled; it took every ounce of self control for her to stand there, completely naked, facing Chloe. Her instincts demanded that she cover herself...or spin around to face away. And yet, as she stood there, the urges to hide herself faded...her shoulders dropped and her tension bled away.

"So?" Max said, smiling.

"So?" Chloe said, "you're fucking gorgeous, Max Caulfield," Max blushed and Chloe continued, "I also can't believe you haven't, like, run behind the couch or something. How many times have you rewound for this little stunt?"

"First time," Max said, "and...it's not as uncomfortable as I thought it would be."

She spun in a circle, giggling a little.

"Damn, Victoria was right," Chloe said, "you  _ do _ have a cute butt."

Max blushed and said, "I...thanks...and only  _ you _ get to see it."

She paused, staring up at Chloe, and continued, "so...now what?"

"Well, I'm overdressed," Chloe said. In one fluid motion, she pulled her underwear down and off, tossing it over towards the jumbled collection of grocery bags next to her side of the bed.

It took Max a moment to process that Chloe was now naked in front of her.

"What do you think?" Chloe said, striking a dramatic pose.

Despite the bravado, Max detected a small note of genuine question in Chloe's voice.

_ It's...so  _ obvious  _ to me that Chloe is just so incredibly beautiful _ , Max thought,  _ but I guess people haven't told her that very often over these last few years...they were all too busy yelling at her. But now she  _ does  _ have someone to tell her... _

"You really rock this whole naked look," Max said, rubbing her chin and tilting her head, "you are an amazingly fine specimen of punk; perhaps even...a punk goddess?"

"Oh, shut up," Chloe said. Max noted with delight that a blush tinged Chloe's cheeks.

"It's weird, isn't it?" Chloe continued, leaning against the wall and putting a hand on her hip, "how different this feels? I mean, we've been cool hanging out in just our underwear together. But subtract that one little piece of cloth and boom...different."

"I guess it's...the fact that we don't have  _ anything _ on now...nothing. We're both completely vulnerable. Nothing to hide and no covering up," Max said, smiling.

"Sounds about right," Chloe said, "although it might also feel different because of what we're planning on doing  _ next  _ with this situation." She winked.

"Oh right," Max said, feeling an intense sensation of butterflies in her stomach, "that too."

Chloe grinned and stepped forward, stopping right in front of Max. Max looked up into Chloe's eyes.

"Funny story," Chloe said, "back when we were kids, I always wanted to go skinny dipping."

"Really?" Max said.

"Totally," Chloe said, "I had this...crazy desire to go skinny dipping with you. I came up with all kinds of ways to bring it up. Captain Bluebeard and Long Max Silver at the Fountain of Youth...Captain Bluebeard and Long Max Silver escaping from the clothes-eating islanders...or just bringing it up and then saying it was a joke if you didn't want to...but I never got the courage to do it."

"Seems like your obsession with water-related hijinks goes way back," Max said.

"Yep yep," Chloe said, laughing, "and the funniest thing is that I had no idea  _ why _ I wanted to do that with you...now I do, of course."

Max smiled up at her.

"You ready to do this?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, let's thrash this place," Max said.

"We  _ really  _ need to work on your vocabulary," Chloe said, "speaking of which...maybe we should figure out a safe word."

Max's eyes widened and she said, "um…"

"Oh shit, sorry," Chloe said, "I'm not going to do anything crazy...I mean something for if you want to stop...at any point."

"Ah, got it," Max said, "how about if we just go with 'stop' for now?"

"Yeah, I guess that works," Chloe said.

"And the same goes for you," Max said, "it's...less likely, I guess...but if you want to stop at any point, just say so."

"Shit, if you've got some kind of kinky stuff planned that would make  _ me _ call for a timeout, my brain would probably explode," Chloe said, "but then again, I never expected that  _ you _ would be the first one naked. Makes me reevaluate my expectations...hmm...I give it three weeks before you pull out the camera."

Max's eyebrows shot up and she said, "erotic photography isn't really in my repertoire."

"Yet," Chloe said, taking a step closer.

Max took a sharp breath; they were so close together...just barely not touching. She looked up into Chloe's bright eyes...and all of her desires, which had been bubbling beneath the surface, came pouring out. She closed the tiny gap between them, reaching around Chloe's waist and holding tight. Chloe laughed...until Max cut her off with a kiss.

Chloe ran her fingers down Max's back as they kissed...and then lower, causing Max to jump.

Chloe backed away laughing and said, "you've got a  _ sensitive  _ bony white ass."

She kept her hands where they were and squeezed, causing Max's eyes to widen.

"I like it. Cute  _ and  _ fun to hold," Chloe said.

Max scrunched her nose and immediately lowered her own hands to Chloe's rear, sticking her tongue out. Chloe laughed and leaned in to kiss Max again.

Max pressed with her palms and traced with her fingernails, moving her hands up Chloe's back to her neck and then back down. She was mostly copying what Chloe was doing to her, listening for Chloe's tiny moans to learn  _ exactly _ what Chloe liked best.

Chloe brought her hands to Max's head and scratched her fingers through Max's hair. Max sighed and broke away to smile up at Chloe.

"I think it might be time to...um...head to the bed," Chloe said, a nervous smile on her face.

_ Nervous? _ Max thought, head tilted.

"You...um...seem a little nervous," Max said, reaching up and brushing a strand of blue hair out of Chloe's face.

"Well, this will be my first time...er...with a girl," Chloe said.

Max's eyes widened, "but I thought...Rachel?"

"Ha, no," Chloe said, shaking her head, "Rachel totally liked to try some things out...but didn't want to go all the way. She was one hell of tease," Chloe smiled softly, "what we had...it was a relationship...it was physical, it was love. We never went this far but...I didn't feel like I was missing out. I...just knew that it would either happen eventually...or that Rachel would help me find the perfect person. Maybe that's why I've been so chill about  _ us _ ," she looked at Max, her eyes bright, "I rushed into sex at first. It was fun, yeah...but with Rachel, it all sort of slowed down into something...better."

Max reached up and held Chloe's cheek.

"I...I'm so glad that you had her," Max said, "what do you think she'd say to...um...this?"

"You mean you and I about to go to town on each other?" Chloe said, a lopsided grin tearing the sadness away from her face, "she'd have probably snuck in here while we were gone...she would've brought a bottle of champagne, a bag of sex toys, and a pile of rose petals to scatter on the bed. She would've set it all up, left, and then pretended later that she had nothing to do with it. Hell, she'd probably have been the first one to notice our particular  _ chemistry _ ," Chloe bumped her hip against Max's, "in fact, I'm pretty sure she would've set us up."

Max smiled and Chloe smiled back.

"So yeah," Chloe said, "we're both first-timers here...both at square one."

"Okay," Max said, her voice wavering a little as her excitement (and nervousness) returned, "so what's square two?"

"Bed!" Chloe said, lowering her arms to Max's waist, tightening her grip, and lifting Max into the air. Max screamed and laughed, holding onto Chloe's shoulders until Chloe dropped her onto the edge of the bed. Max scrambled backwards, propping herself up in the middle of the bed. Chloe crawled onto the bed above Max, grinning. Max laid down, shivers running through her as Chloe hovered above her.

"You ready to do this?" Chloe said quietly.

Max nodded and said, "how do we...you know...do it?"

Chloe shrugged and said, "let's just go with it. Do what feels good. If you want something, shout it out...hell, just chill out and these pirates will get the booty."

In response, Max reached up and pulled Chloe down, wrapping her legs around Chloe's.

"Max, you are  _ wild _ !" Chloe said before kissing her.

_ Holy shit, I think I'm in heaven _ , Max thought, reminded of Thursday night...and Friday morning...and yesterday morning…,  _ wowser we've been making out a  _ lot.

They rolled to the side and Chloe broke away, staring intensely into Max's eyes. She placed a hand firmly on Max's side and slowly moved it towards Max's hip, a smile growing on her face. Her hand slipped down across Max's abdomen and Max sighed. She closed her eyes as Chloe's fingers inched further down. And as Chloe added pressure with her palm, Max moaned and tilted her leg up.

But instead of accepting Max's invitation, Chloe slid her hand to the inside of Max's thigh.

Max's eyes snapped open.

"You're evil," Max said breathlessly.

"Yep yep," Chloe said, gently stroking Max's thigh and sending a wave of goosebumps across Max's skin.

Chloe moved her hand to Max's other thigh and pushed, rolling Max over onto her back. Chloe propped herself up and leaned over to kiss Max on the nose. Then she kissed her gently on the lips...then on her chin...and then down the side of her neck.

Chloe shuffled downwards on her knees and kissed down the center of Max's chest and abdomen. Then she sat up and put her hand on Max's knee.

"I want to check you out," Chloe said.

Max's eyes widened and she clamped her legs closed; Chloe pouted.

"Promise you're not just going to tease?" Max said.

"I promise nothing," Chloe said, smiling.

Max sighed and, with an eye roll, let her knees fall apart. Chloe scooted down between Max's legs...and Max felt suddenly self-conscious.

_ Fuck...what if I look weird...or smell weird...or feel weird?  _ she thought, biting her lower lip and staring down at Chloe _. _ She had a strong desire to snap her legs closed...but smacking Chloe's head with her knees didn't seem like the most romantic gesture. So instead she waited, watching Chloe's expression.

Chloe stared for a moment before a lopsided grin blossomed on her face. She dropped down to her stomach, her legs waving in the air behind her, and reached a hand forward. Max jumped slightly as Chloe's fingers touched her inner thigh.

"You okay?" Chloe said, withdrawing her hand.

"Yeah, just a little ticklish," Max said.

"Oh  _ really _ ?" Chloe said, a grin on her face.

"Oh don't you  _ dare _ ," Max said.

"Okay...fine...spoilsport," Chloe said, putting her hand back on Max's thigh and moving it slowly inwards, "but I will remember this little fact for the future."

Max groaned, half from the idea that Chloe would almost certainly use that information later and half because Chloe's fingers were now at the very top of her thigh.

Max took in a sharp breath as Chloe moved her fingers inwards and then traced a wide, slow circle. Max glanced down again, seeing a content smile on Chloe's face.

"Yes?" Chloe said, her eyes meeting Max's.

"Nothing," Max said, dropping her head back.

_ I am  _ so  _ going to get back at her for all of this teasing _ , Max thought.

"Are you sure?" Chloe said, her fingertip brushing Max's most sensitive spot.

"Oh my god," Max said, gasping.

Chloe chuckled and said, "dude, you're so fucking adorable...aaand you're so fucking wet."

Max groaned and put a hand over her eyes.

"This is so hot," Chloe said, "just  _ looking  _ at you is driving me crazy."

"Driving  _ you  _ crazy?!" Max said.

"Oh, you mean you want more of this?" Chloe said, brushing her finger across the spot again.

Max moaned and nodded, tilting her head up and glancing down again.

"This is fun," Chloe said, winking.

She scooted closer and explored with her fingers, slowly tracing every little contour before starting to move her fingers rhythmically, up and down. She then propped herself up and, managing to keep her fingers moving between Max's legs, crawled above Max. She leaned down and Max rose to meet her, kissing her hungrily. And on a downward stroke of her fingers, Chloe gently slid one finger inside; Max gasped and her back arched involuntarily.

Chloe laughed and said, "wow."

"Wow is right," Max moaned.

Chloe picked up her pace, sliding her finger in and out and then back out to glide up and down. Max felt pressure building inside of her: familiar...and yet  _ different _ . The way Chloe moved her fingers made everything different from anything Max had experienced when doing it herself. And she couldn't predict what Chloe would do next..which made it all the more exciting. She held onto Chloe tightly, her fingers grasping Chloe's back and her ankles hooked onto Chloe's legs. She kissed Chloe again and again...her timid, quiet side would undoubtedly be horrified at the reckless passion that she was displaying...but that quiet side had been thoroughly and completely overruled.

In what seemed like no time at all, Max felt herself reaching the edge, her heart pounding and her breathing rapid. She moaned quietly with each breath.

She looked up to see Chloe watching her intently from above and then looked down to see Chloe's hand darting between her legs. When she looked back up, Chloe leaned down and kissed her, biting her lower lip...and that alone nearly pushed Max over. But Chloe pulled away with a grin.

"Feels like you're about to blast off," Chloe whispered.

Max smiled through her moans and said, "yeah...could you...go faster?"

"Hell yeah," Chloe said, picking up the pace.

Max's back arched again and she grabbed Chloe's head, pulling her down to lock their lips together. Chloe's tongue inched between Max's lips and the pressure inside exploded. She squeezed her eyes shut and her entire body shuddered. Chloe backed away but kept her fingers where they were, only slowing her pace when Max's moans subsided...and stopping when Max's back and legs collapsed down to the bed.

Max could barely move. She opened her eyes and stared up at a grinning Chloe, who had shifted to sit cross-legged at Max's side, one hand still cupped between Max's legs.

"Wowser," Max said.

Chloe burst out laughing.

"Dude," Chloe said, "I totally  _ knew  _ you were going to 'wowser' that."

"No...other way...to say it...that was...amazing," Max said, "holy shit."

"I can't even believe it," Chloe said, "that was...so easy. I memorized a bunch of tips and tricks in case you wanted to do this...thought I'd need to be super creative and shit. But hell, I just did what I do on myself."

"It worked," Max said.

_It really did,_ Max thought, _but wait...tips and tricks?_ _Crap..._ I _didn't memorize any tips or tricks. Should I have? It's Chloe's turn next...will it be okay if I just do what I already know? Will that work? And...wow...it's Chloe's turn next._

"Max, I know what you're thinking," Chloe said, pointing at her, "you're wondering if  _ you  _ need to use any special tricks."

"I swear, you must be able...to read my mind," Max said, still catching her breath.

"Nope, just best frie...er...girlfriend sense," Chloe said. Max grinned.

"Yeah, and don't worry," Chloe said, "I am so fucking turned on right now. You could probably poke at me like a doorbell and set me off."

Max sat up gingerly and looked at Chloe, her eyes tracing up from Chloe's feet to her grinning face.

"Like what you see?" Chloe said, shaking her hips a little.

"Oh yes," Max said, smiling, "are you...ready for your turn?"

"Are  _ you _ ready?" Chloe said.

"Surprisingly, I can move again," Max said, "maybe because I'm  _ so _ ready to try this out on you."

"Can't say no to that!" Chloe said.

She removed her hand from between Max's legs and Max grimaced at how clearly wet Chloe's fingers were. Chloe stared at her hand for a moment, grinned, and put her fingers into her mouth.

Max's jaw dropped.

"Hmm, I kinda like that," Chloe said after pulling her fingers out.

"Chloe, I can't believe you just did that," Max said, turning a deep shade of red.

"Dude, I totally intend on going down on you at some point...um...if you're cool with it, of course...but yeah...figured I'd get a preview of what I'm in for," Chloe said with a wink.

Max continued to stare with wide eyes and Chloe laughed.

"You going to just stare at me, Max Caulfield? Or are you going to fuck me?" Chloe said quietly, a sly smile on her face.

A wave of tingles rushed through Max's body.

"I...yes...damn right I am," Max said.

Then her eyes lost focus and her brow furrowed.

"Wait," she continued, "what we just did...doesn't that mean…"

"Yep, you just swiped your V card, Maxaroni," Chloe said, "welcome to sex."

"Wowser," Max said.

"That's  _ two  _ wowsers," Chloe said.

"Oh, that's it," Max said, darting forward to tickle Chloe's sides.

Chloe fell over laughing and Max used the opportunity to straddle her.

"And you...said... _ I _ was evil," Chloe said, grabbing Max's hands.

Max shrugged and said, "seemed like a good way to get you to where I need you to be."

Max smiled down at Chloe and moved forward so that she hovered above Chloe's abdomen. She reached behind her and ran a hand along Chloe's thigh.

Chloe closed her eyes, sighed, and said, "I love you, Max."

Max leaned down and said, "I love you, too."

She kissed Chloe's neck and moved her hand to Chloe's other thigh at the same time...and she nearly fell over.

_ Smooth,  _ she thought,  _ there's no need to try to be fancy here...and knowing me, I'd probably end up bashing Chloe's head and falling to the floor. Let's go with simple... _

She lifted herself away and laid at Chloe's side, leaning close to kiss Chloe's cheek and returning her hand to Chloe's thigh. Max turned her gaze to Chloe's face and they locked eyes, smiling. Max moved her hand up from Chloe's thigh, gently running her fingers through the hair between Chloe's legs. Chloe sighed in contentment and Max leaned forward, kissing Chloe's lips softly and dropping her fingers down in a wide V shape. She traced a wide circle, carefully and deviously avoiding anything particularly sensitive. She brought her fingers back up and then slid them down again in a wide oval...and then did it again...and again. Chloe's quiet moans grew louder each time.

Max released her lips from Chloe's and Chloe whispered, "Is this revenge for my teasing?"

Max nodded and gave a lopsided smile.

"You serve up...damn good revenge," Chloe said, her breath catching as Max moved her fingers inward, slowly tracing over Chloe's folds and ridges.

_ It's like touching myself _ , Max thought,  _ but just a  _ little  _ different. Everything's just...slightly bigger or smaller...closer together or further apart. Come to think of it, I'll probably end up knowing Chloe down there better than I know myself...since I can actually  _ see  _ hers. _

Max inched her fingers inwards a little more.

"Holy shit, Max," Chloe said.

Max smiled before scooting in to kiss Chloe again. As she pulled gently on Chloe's lower lip with her teeth, she moved her fingers inwards again and down.

_ Wow _ , Max thought,  _ Chloe wasn't kidding...she  _ is  _ really turned on _ .

Max found herself fascinated with her own feelings at the moment...normally, bodily fluids grossed her out. But in this situation, with her fingers gliding so easily, she felt the opposite.

_ Okay, time to stop the teasing _ , Max thought.

She moved her fingers upwards, finding Chloe's most sensitive spot immediately. The moment her finger slid over it, Chloe breathed in sharply.

"Oh,  _ yes _ ," she said, her fingers grasping at Max's hair.

Max grinned and thought,  _ damn, Chloe's is  _ way  _ easier to find than mine. _

She moved her fingers carefully, sliding to the side...moving in circles...rubbing right on top. In response, Chloe's moans became louder, punctuated with "holy shit", "oh fuck", " _ yes _ ", and, to Max's delight, "oh,  _ Max _ ." Max realized then that her own reactions had been very quiet...Chloe was  _ way  _ more vocal.

Max pulled herself out of her own thoughts to focus on exploring more of Chloe as she continued her work with her fingers. She kissed along Chloe's neck and along her shoulders and chest, copying much of what Chloe had done to her.

_ If she did it on me, it probably means  _ she  _ likes it _ , Max thought,  _ speaking of which... _

Between Chloe's legs, Max moved her fingers down from where she'd been focusing and plunged a finger inside, eliciting a yelp of pleasure from Chloe.

"Holy shit, Max...yes...just like that," Chloe said, her eyes squeezed shut.

Max varied her finger work: inside, outside, all around. When Chloe cried out "faster" or "slower" or "right there" or "a little bit over," Max gladly followed her directions. Chloe's back arched, her legs trembled, and soon her moans had become loud enough for Max to wonder if half of the floor could hear.

"Max, I'm...I'm going to come," Chloe said.

Max stared into Chloe's eyes and Chloe held Max's head tightly.

"Faster," Chloe whispered.

Max moved her fingers faster, ignoring the growing weariness in her arm.

_ No way am I stopping until Chloe's finished _ , Max thought, biting her lip.

Suddenly, Chloe's eyes closed and her hips heaved up. Max struggled to keep her fingers moving in the right spot as Chloe spasmed, her moans turning into screams. Max kept going, only slowing when Chloe's screams began to subside.

With a final groan of satisfaction, Chloe dropped her hips and legs heavily to the bed.

"Fuck," Chloe said, bringing her hands to her head, "I can't move...shit...that was…," she moaned again, her body shaking, "that was wowser as fuck."

Max giggled and pressed her body against Chloe's side, her hand still resting between Chloe's legs. Chloe twisted to the side and pulled Max into a tight embrace, kissing her deeply.

When they pulled apart, they both laughed. Max pulled her hand from between Chloe's legs and examined her glistening fingers.

"That was...kind of messy," she said.

"Dude, that's how you know you're doing it right," Chloe said.

"Yeah, I guess so," Max said.

Chloe looked over at Max staring at her hand.

"Need a towel?" Chloe said, a lopsided grin on her face.

Max looked over at her, shrugged, and slipped her fingers into her mouth.

Chloe's jaw dropped.

"Holy shit, you are  _ such  _ a badass," she said.

Max removed her fingers and stared at them.

_ I...can't believe I just did that _ , she thought.

"So?" Chloe said.

Before thinking, Max said, "a little salty, a little sweet." Her eyes widened and she clamped a hand to her mouth.

"You are so adorable...it's unbelievable," Chloe said, rolling over and putting an arm and a leg around Max.

"I can't believe I did that," Max said from beneath her hand.

"Dude, do what you want," Chloe said, "you're with me. I'm not going to judge. Especially since I did the exact same thing."

"Yeah, but...er...I guess you're right," Max said, lowering her hand. She looked into Chloe's eyes and continued, "so...um...did you like it?"

"Did I  _ like  _ it? That was fucking incredible," Chloe said, "you are so fucking good at that, G."

"I guess...like you said, it was kind of like doing it to myself," Max said, "although it was a little easier since your…"

She stopped.

"Since my clit is the size of a fucking dirigible?" Chloe said, smiling, "yeah...I bet that helps. I always wondered...I compared myself to some pictures online years ago...but I didn't know for sure until playing with  _ your  _ tiny nub. Mine's damn easy to find...but also way too easy to overwork the little fucker. Finicky. Learned that the hard way...including one time years ago in the shower...while you were in my room."

"So  _ that's _ why you took such long showers sometimes," Max said, her eyes wide.

"Yep yep," Chloe said, grinning.

"There...were a few times where I felt like doing that too...when you were in the shower and I was alone in your room," Max said.

"No way...really?" Chloe said.

Max nodded and said, "yeah, but I never did...I was always worried that you or Joyce or William would walk in...and I also worried it was, I don't know...rude? It was your room, after all."

"Well hey, you have my permission to do whatever in my room, including that. And now I'm imagining walking in on you polishing your pearl when we were kids," Chloe said, chuckling.

"What would you have done?" Max said, smiling.

"Asked if I could join you?" Chloe said.

"Wow...I don't even know what I would've done," Max said, "I guess it's moot since I didn't do it...and didn't do it that much in general."

"Ha, well, whatever your experience, you handled my junk like a champ," Chloe said.

"Why thank you," Max said, bending into a slight bow, "and you too are a skilled junk-handler."

"All of these compliments and we've only just started," Chloe said, twirling a lock of Max's hair in her fingers, "and dude, by the way, we totally just had sex."

"Really? Are you sure?" Max said, grinning.

"Want to do it again just to make sure?" Chloe said.

"Um...my brain votes yes but I think my body is still sorting itself out from round one," Max said.

"Yeah, mine too," Chloe said, "so instead...let's celebrate!"

Chloe started to sit up but fell back to the bed.

"Whoa, okay...let's try that again," Chloe said.

She pushed herself up and managed to hop out of the bed, bounding over to the living area. Max rolled out bed and followed. Chloe pulled the liquor store bag out of the refrigerator and tore it away to reveal a bottle of champagne.

"Now  _ this  _ is a hella perfect occasion to drink this shit," Chloe said.

"I'll drink to that," Max said.

"Here, hold this," Chloe said, handing the bottle over.

Chloe turned around and Max, a sly grin on her face, pressed the bottle to Chloe's naked rear. Chloe yelped, jumped, and spun around to glare at Max. Max put on the most innocent expression she could muster.

"What's up?" Max said.

"Oh, you will pay for that," Chloe said.

"Given the types of punishment I've received so far, I'm not exactly deterred," Max said.

"Be careful what you wish for," Chloe said with a wink. She reached up and pulled a pair of glasses down from a shelf above the refrigerator.

"You want to do the honors?" Chloe said, gesturing at the bottle.

"No way...my mom had me open a bottle of champagne for her and my dad one time and I knocked picture frames off of a shelf with the cork," Max said, "I scared myself shitless and haven't been able to do it since."

Chloe laughed and said, "that's fucking hilarious; we should totally go cork shooting someday."

"Well, I'll take that over shooting with guns again," Max mumbled, eyeing the champagne bottle warily as Chloe removed the wrapper at the top.

"Wait, what gun shoo...oh, right," Chloe said, starting to twist the cork.

Max grimaced and covered her ears.

"Aw, come on," Chloe said, twisting further, "why won't this fucking thing…"

A loud pop sounded, Max jumped, Chloe said, "yes!" and the cork sailed across the room, ricocheting off of a lamp shade and landing on the floor.

Chloe tilted the bottle up and filled the two glasses.

"I thought you would've done the thing they always do in the movies with champagne...you know, where they spray it everywhere," Max said.

"Oh, trust me, I was totally tempted," Chloe said, "but first, it's a waste of booze. I'd rather drink it. Second, I'm responsible now, remember," Max rolled her eyes, "and I don't want to pay a hotel cleaning fee. And finally, you and I are classy ladies. That whole spewing white stuff around just isn't our thing, as we so recently demonstrated."

Chloe gave a little bow as she handed a glass over to Max, who stared back at her with her head tilted.

"What do you mean by...oh, right," Max said.

"Yep yep," Chloe said, raising her glass, "here's to the least messy sex!"

They clinked their glasses together and sipped.

"I don't know," Max said, "that was still kinda messy. And ooh, this is good."

"Yeah, I got some pretty decent stuff," Chloe said, "you ever had champagne before?"

"A sip here and there," Max said, "oh...and you're technically not allowed to call it champagne unless the grapes were grown in a particular region of France."

"Dude, only  _ you  _ would know that and also never had an actual glass of cham...er...what are you supposed to call it?" Chloe said.

"Um...sparkling wine, I think," Max said.

"Okay then...to semantics!" Chloe said, raising her glass again.

They clinked glasses and sipped again.

"Ooh, and don't forget: science!" Max said, raising her glass.

"Science!" Chloe echoed, touching her glass to Max's.

They continued toasting back and forth: the hotel, the photographer whose photos lined the hotel's walls, Miranda, mysterious artifacts, Sean Prescott's stupid ass-face, vaginas, various other parts of the female anatomy, Arcadia Bay, science again (followed by a toast to Brooke, Warren, and Planet of the Apes), waffles, a somber toast to Rachel, a happier toast to love, Chloe's truck, and then cameras. By that point, they'd finished their glasses and Max felt more than a little tipsy.

She rifled through her bag as Chloe poured them each a second glass. Max pulled her camera out and tapped Chloe on the shoulder.

"Selfie?" Max said with a smile.

"Hell yeah...but...uh...I thought you weren't  _ that  _ kind of photographer," Chloe said, grinning and putting her arm around Max's shoulders.

"I'm not," Max said, "but I've taken about a thousand selfies so I know  _ exactly  _ how to angle the camera to avoid deez boobs."

"If you mess up and get boobs, I get to keep it," Chloe said.

"Agreed," Max said, glancing around them and rotating them slightly.

They smiled up at the camera and Max snapped the photo, yanked the print out, and shook it.

"See," Max said as the image materialized, "perfectly PG."

"I don't know," Chloe said, "maybe PG-13...it's pretty obvious we're naked."

"Er...someone might think we're wearing strapless dresses?" Max said.

"You can see the messed up bed behind us...and our messed up hair," Chloe said, " _ those _ say: no dresses."

"Hmm...I see what you mean...but that's okay, capturing the bed was intentional," Max said, "and I also moved us so that you can see the champagne…"

"Sparkling wine," Chloe interrupted.

"...bottle there," Max continued, "I...wanted to make sure we always remember what this photo represents."

"You're good," Chloe said.

"Why thank you," Max said, bending down to put the photo in her bag.

" _ And _ you're bad," Chloe said, spanking Max.

"Says the baddest of them all," Max said, spinning around with her eyes narrowed at Chloe.

"Oh yes, definitely...more cham...er...sparkling wine?" Chloe said, holding out a glass.

"Yes, please," Max said, "and fuck it, let's just call it champagne."

Max sat down on the couch and Chloe sat with her legs on Max's lap and her head on the armrest. They sipped champagne and joked about their adventures...past, present, and future...until frequent yawns led them back to the bed.

They didn't bother with clothes and slipped under the covers to fall asleep in each other's arms.

**. . . . .**

Max's dreams that night were surprisingly tame, given what she'd just experienced. Chloe, dressed like Max, chased Max around a hotel filled with trees, holding the cylinder from Nathan's apartment and asking Max to marry her. Max shouted back that she couldn't until she found a ring. And to find the ring, she somehow knew...just  _ knew _ ...that she'd have to photograph enough squirrels to persuade Samuel to give her a ring from a pirate treasure beneath the Tobanga. Like every dream, it made perfect sense until it didn't.

And that dream stopped making sense as soon as Max found herself feeling completely awake. The sound of wind filled the air and her surroundings were lit with an eerily shifting glow. Howling wind gave way to an almost continuous roll of thunder and Max glanced around: she was surrounded by trees.

_ Where am I? _ Max thought,  _ this looks...familiar. I think I've dreamed about this before. But...I don't remember there being a storm, _ her eyes widened,  _ fuck...this isn't another apocalyptic storm, is it? _

She squinted into the gloom around her, unable to make out anything beyond the first few rows of trees. For all she knew, a tornado could be barreling down on her as she stood there.

She spun around slowly, looking for some landmark...and then she saw it: the doe.

_ Again?  _ she thought, meeting the doe's eyes.

The doe stared at her for a moment before turning and walking away. Max hesitated...the last time she'd followed a dream doe in a storm through the woods, it had led her to the tornado in the bay. She desperately hoped that it wouldn't be the same this time.

_ But I'd rather  _ know  _ than be taken by surprise _ , Max thought, gritting her teeth,  _ and if it  _ is  _ another storm...this time we can warn the town...or wherever this is _ .

As Max followed the doe, rain began to fall...a gentle mist that changed quickly into heavy droplets thrown down by the branches above. The doe continued to stroll through the trees, oblivious to the rain and wind and unfazed by the thunder. Max pulled her hoodie tight against her shoulders...no sign of any tornado yet.

The doe stopped in front of a short stone ridge and looked back at Max. Max stepped to within inches of the doe and started to reach a hand towards it...but the doe turned and looked out over the ridge. Max followed its gaze and saw that the trees appeared to thin out towards an open space ahead, lit with bright flashes of lightning. She squinted, seeing what looked like a figure out in the open, obscured by the wind-driven rain.

_ Who is that?  _ Max thought.

She looked back at the doe, which was again staring at her. She cautiously reached her hand out.

"Rachel?" she said over the thunder, "is that you? What is this? What are you showing me?"

The doe stood motionless; Max reached forward further and just before her fingers could touch the tip of the doe's nose, everything vanished.


	19. It Takes Two

Chloe yawned and stretched.

"Yo...Max," she said, her eyes closed against a warm light, "what time is it? I'm still totally tripping over…"

She opened her eyes to find Rachel staring at her.

"Hey, Chloe," Rachel said.

Chloe stared at Rachel, taking in her bright hazel eyes, her coy half smile, and the blue feather dangling from her ear. Then she wrenched her gaze away and stared at the ground, her mind whirling. Her senses caught up with her: she wasn't laying down, she was sitting up on a cinder block by a small fire...and she was fully clothed. She looked up: her dad sat in front of the fire, his hands stretched out towards the flickering flames.

Recognition came: the lighthouse...a dream.

She buried her head in her hands.

"What the serious  _ fuck _ , you guys?" she said.

William chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Chloe said, willing herself not to look at Rachel.

"You always used to try so hard to not swear around me or your mom, sweetheart," William said.

Chloe sat silently until she couldn't keep her eyes away any longer...she turned again to the right. Rachel gazed back at her, the same half smile on her face.

"Hi...Rachel," Chloe said.

"Oh good," Rachel said, "for a second I thought you were actually going to ignore me."

"I…," Chloe started before turning away.

"Hey," Rachel said, drawing Chloe's gaze back, "I know...and I'm sorry."

Chloe stared at her.

"You're...probably wondering if this is really me," Rachel said, "and if  _ that's _ really your dad...if any of this is real at all."

"Yeah, that's about right," Chloe said.

"If I said it's really me, would you believe it?" Rachel said.

"I...probably not," Chloe said, gritting her teeth.

"Why not?" Rachel said.

"Because if you were  _ really _ Rachel," Chloe said, "you'd tell me what the  _ fuck  _ is going on! And if that was really my dad," she pointed at William, "he'd be telling me too!"

"Ouch, honey, ouch," William said.

Chloe glared at him.

"I suppose you're right," Rachel said, drawing Chloe's gaze back, "but what if I  _ couldn't _ lay it all out for you?"

"Why the fuck not?" Chloe said.

"Rules, Chloe," Rachel said.

"Fuck rules," Chloe said, "winners make their own rules, Rachel.  _ You _ said that."

"Yes, I did," Rachel said, smiling.

It was a smile that Chloe recognized: the sly smile that Rachel had whenever she'd gotten away with something.

"But then what…," Chloe started.

"Max Caulfield can't rewind her way into the eighteenth century," Rachel said, leaning forward, "Your new friend Miranda can't see through mountains...there are just some rules that  _ none _ of us have the tools to break, Chloe. Do you really think I haven't tried? That I haven't  _ succeeded  _ with bending some...even breaking some?"

"And what about you, dad?" Chloe said.

"I was never  _ that _ much of a rule breaker...just a troublemaker," William said, meeting Chloe's eyes, "this is  _ your  _ dream, Chloe...it's your mind. Can't show you or tell you something that isn't already here."

"So  _ I'm _ the reason you can't tell me shit?" Chloe said.

"Pretty much," Rachel said with a smile.

Chloe threw her hands up into the air and stood up.

"It's okay, Chloe," Rachel said, "what's here is enough."

"Is it?" Chloe said.

Rachel glanced off to the side and Chloe followed her gaze to see a figure standing just outside of the firelight.

"Who's that?" Chloe said, squinting.

"Ah, I guess we need some more light," William said.

As soon as he finished saying it, the space in front of Chloe brightened and she squeezed her eyes shut against the sudden light. When she opened her eyes again, the bay, the cliffs, and the lighthouse were lit by same gigantic tornado that had appeared in her last dream...the same one Max had described to her.

And like last time, the storm seemed to produce no sound...and no rain or wind fell upon them. And yet Chloe's eyes still widened and she took an involuntary step back. She glanced over at Rachel and William; both sat calmly, with William staring at the fire again and Rachel looking towards the bay. Chloe followed her gaze again to see that the shadowy figure was now fully visible: it was clearly Max, standing at the edge of the cliff and facing away.

"Max?" Chloe said.

Rachel rose and stepped over to stand next to Chloe.

"Do me a favor, Chloe," Rachel said, "hold on to her...don't let her go."

"That's what my dad said," Chloe said softly.

"Yep," William said, spinning around to face them, "and I stand by my words: you make sure you hold onto her. Er…," he stood up, "now I'm standing by my words."

"I'm so fucking confused," Chloe said, unable to tear her eyes away from the Max-like figure by the cliff, "why...why do you both keep telling me to hold onto her?"

"Why? Well...it takes two to tango, Chloe," Rachel said, a lopsided grin on her face, "as you and Max  _ both  _ know now."

Chloe blushed.

"And it takes two to share the kind of love that you have...and not just  _ that  _ kind of love," William said, chuckling.

"Geez," Chloe mumbled, her blush deepening.

"And," William continued, "now that I think of it, it does take two to really figure all this crap out."

Chloe opened her mouth but Rachel said, her voice dark, "it also takes two to start a fire, Chloe."

Behind them, the distant hills came alive with flames.

"And Chloe," William said, drawing her attention, "it takes two to keep a  _ storm going _ ."

His last two words rolled into deep thunder and everything went black.


	20. Tattoo

Max woke to gentle quiet in the hotel room; a line of daylight stretched from a tiny gap in the curtains to the ceiling and over to the wall.

She lay on her side, inches from a shock of blue hair. She smiled and then her eyes widened; she peeked under the covers.

_ Oh wowser, I'm naked _ , Max thought.

She peeked again.

_ Oh wowser, Chloe is too _ , she thought,  _ I completely forgot _ .

The movement caused Chloe to stir. She rolled onto her back and stretched her arms out above her, yawning widely. She rolled to face Max and jumped when she saw that Max was awake.

"Whoa...yo, Saxy Maxy," Chloe said.

Max thought that she saw something in Chloe's eyes...concern? Confusion? But before she could ask, Chloe smiled and looked around the room, saying, "what the fuck time is it?"

Max started to turn to grab her phone but Chloe wrapped an arm around her and pulled her back.

"Nope, not important enough," Chloe said, "must have my daily dose of Maximum adorableness. Have to hold you."

Chloe hugged Max tightly and Max wrapped her arms around Chloe to hug her back.

_ Who would have thought that the punk Chloe of today was so sweet?  _ Max thought.

Chloe pulled back and stared into Max's eyes, her smile faltering.

"Chloe?" Max said, "are you okay?"

"I...had another dream," Chloe said.

Max's eyes widened and she said, "what happened?"

"It was...my dad again...and Rachel," Chloe said.

Max reached over and put a hand on Chloe's arm.

"They told me to hold onto you...like last time...I don't know why they kept saying it," Chloe said, "I...asked them why they were being so fucking cagey and they said some shit about rules."

"You mean...they're not allowed to tell you stuff?" Max said.

"No...more like they  _ can't _ for some reason," Chloe said, her brow furrowed, "something to do with it all being in my head...can't show me stuff that isn't already there or some shit."

"I'm sorry," Max said, rubbing Chloe's arm, "that...couldn't have been easy...seeing them both."

"No...I just feel kinda shitty that I got mad at them," Chloe said, "I mean...I don't even know if they're real or...just a figment of my imagination."

She looked at Max hopefully.

"I...don't know," Max said, "I've only ever seen the doe...and she doesn't talk."

Chloe nodded.

"And...um...speaking of which, I...also had a  _ dream _ last night," Max said, cringing.

"Fuck," Chloe said, "we  _ both  _ had crazy-ass dreams? Shit, I hope it's not from the sex...if I see my dad and Rachel after every time we fuck, that would get hella awkward  _ real  _ fast."

Max smiled slightly.

"Well, shit," Chloe continued, "what have the gods of wacky dreams shown  _ you _ ? Not another storm...right?" She winced.

"That's...a good question," Max said, her brow furrowed, "I woke up in a forest...and I think I've dreamed of it before. There was thunder and lightning... _ some _ kind of storm. The doe showed up and I followed it until we stopped just outside of a clearing. I couldn't see much but there was definitely a ton of lightning. It seemed like the doe was showing me the clearing and there was someone or something out there."

"So...there  _ was  _ a storm?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said, thinking back, "but...it didn't  _ sound _ like the tornado. And when I first had the visions, back in the erased week, the visions were  _ all _ about showing me the storm...this time it seemed like whatever storm was going on, it wasn't the main event."

"That's...good," Chloe said, "and oh...right...storm...that reminds me: my dad and Rachel also went into this whole thing about how it takes two to do stuff."

Max raised an eyebrow.

"Not  _ that _ ," Chloe said, "at least...well, Rachel did say it takes two to tango and my dad...er... _ anyways _ , they said that it takes two to figure this shit out, two to start a fire, and two to keep a storm going. That last part sorta freaked me out. Any ideas?"

"Two to start a fire...two to keep a storm going," Max mumbled, "I...don't know...what was the fire about?"

"Well, that big forest fire from a few years ago appeared behind us when Rachel said it," Chloe said, shrugging.

"Did anything happen when they mentioned a storm?" Max said.

"Nope," Chloe said, "except for some freaky thunder sounds."

Max scratched her head and said, "I don't know...but with both of them telling you to hold me and saying that it takes two to do all of that stuff, I'm thinking maybe it means you and I need to stick together?"

Chloe snorted, "what, do they think we plan on doing something else?"

"Did they...seem worried at all?" Max said.

"Not even a little...kinda pissed me off since they clearly seemed to know more than they would...er... _ could _ say. Hell, I  _ know  _ the look Rachel gets...got...when she managed to get her way with something...and she totally had that look."

"It seems like we have more questions than answers again," Max said.

"Yeah," Chloe said, her brow furrowed.

"But...I like that they didn't seem worried," Max said.

"And I like that you didn't get introduced to another death storm," Chloe said.

"But...now it really  _ really  _ seems like something's going to go down," Max said.

They lay silently for a few moments, lost in thought.

"Well, fuck it all...right now I'm going to take their advice and hold my girlfriend," Chloe said.

Chloe scooted forward and pressed herself against Max, wrapping a leg over Max's leg...then she pulled back, frowned, and peeked under the covers.

She smiled and said, "we totally need to sleep like this more often."

"Yeah," Max said, smiling back.

Chloe's smile vanished and she lay still, her hand absentmindedly stroking Max's arm.

"Max, what are we going to do?" Chloe said after a moment.

Max ran a hand through Chloe's hair and said, "stick together. We'll get through this...we'll figure it out."

Chloe snorted and mumbled, "it takes two to figure this shit out."

"That's you and me: Max and Chloe forever," Max said.

"Damn right," Chloe said, kissing Max on the forehead, "I love you...so fucking much."

"I love you too, Chloe," Max said, "and, by the way, you're very sweet."

Chloe's lips twitched.

"What?" Max said.

"I thought you said  _ salty  _ and sweet," Chloe said with a grin.

Max punched her arm and said, "you're such a dork."

"Yep yep," Chloe said.

Max breathed deeply.

_ Maybe...just maybe...everything will be okay _ , she thought.

"Dude, I'm going to crash again if I don't get some light," Chloe said.

She sat up and the covers fell off of her, drawing Max's eyes. Chloe glanced down and smiled.

"Caught you staring," she said, climbing out of bed.

"Yeah...guilty as charged," Max said, sitting up.

Chloe jerked the curtains open and sunlight filled the room. Max squeezed her eyes shut and then blinked until she could see properly again.

"Yo, I'm going to brush my teeth so I can forget about dreams and make out with you," Chloe said, "cool?"

"Yeah, I'm cool with that," Max said.

Max stepped out of bed and stretched, glancing over to see that Chloe had leaned out of the bathroom to watch.

Max smiled and said, "and now I caught  _ you  _ staring."

"Dude, you are hella sexy," Chloe said before disappearing.

Max padded into the other bathroom, her mind turning back to the dreams. There was a lot of information...too much information...to process. All of it so strange and all of it shrouded in mystery. As she brushed her teeth, she looked at herself in the mirror...from her tousled hair down to her hips. She stopped brushing, her mind torn from thoughts of storms and messages from the afterlife to the view in front of her.

_ I...can't believe I'm just walking around  _ naked, Max thought,  _ those dreams must have me really distracted...I don't think I've  _ ever  _ done this _ , she pursed her lips to the side,  _ or maybe this is all Chloe's doing...tearing down my walls of self-consciousness. _

Max returned to the main room, where Chloe lounged on the couch with her feet up. As Max expected, Chloe hadn't bothered to put on any clothes yet.

"You know," Max said, crossing her arms, "this is definitely the longest I've ever been naked."

"Me too," Chloe said, "and it's amazing. Dude, we're just going to have to lock our doors and strip every time we sleep over. I can't wait to have our own place or an RV or something. Just...naked all the time. This is fucking awesome."

"I didn't think I'd like it," Max said, walking over to the couch and putting her hands on her hips, "but it's...liberating."

Chloe gave a thumbs-up and Max looked over at the clock on the nightstand.

"Well," she said, "we still have some time before our breakfast reservation. What do you want to do?

"Something to take our minds off of crazy dreams?" Chloe said, one eyebrow raised.

Max nodded.

Chloe narrowed her eyes and gave a lopsided smile, saying, "in that case, I have an idea."

**. . . . .**

When they finished, Max found herself sweaty, out of breath, and weak in her limbs.

"I think you nearly killed me," she said.

Chloe collapsed next to Max, smiling.

"Just revenge for you nearly killing  _ me  _ a few minutes ago," Chloe said.

"That...was even better than last night," Max said, grasping Chloe's hand.

"Same here...you've got some hella magic in those fingers," Chloe said.

Max blushed and said, "I didn't even do anything different."

"Me neither," Chloe said, "and there's still  _ so much else _ to try out. And...get this...we can do this whenever we fucking want!" She pumped her fist into the air.

"I don't know," Max said, "some of my teachers might not appreciate it if we practice our techniques in my classes."

"Ah, good point," Chloe said, "and I'm sure my new employer wouldn't be happy if we start trying to find new uses for clarinets and flutes while I'm at work."

"Don't forget recorders and kazoos," Max said.

"Damn, you're going to take my dork title away from me," Chloe said.

"I'm  _ such _ a long way from that," Max said.

"Alright, so we can do this  _ almost _ anytime we want," Chloe said, "worst case scenario, we grab the truck and go out to the woods."

"Ooh, truck sex," Max said, miming holding a steering wheel.

"And we've got the pirate fort," Chloe said.

"Ooh, pirate fort sex," Max said, holding a hand over one eye and her other hand out as if she was holding a telescope.

"That's all I've got," Chloe said.

"I don't believe that for a second," Max said.

"Okay fine...nighttime beach sex?" Chloe said.

"In Arcadia Bay? I'd rather not have used needles jabbing my butt," Max said.

"Oh, it's not  _ that  _ bad," Chloe said, "what about lighthou...er...what about sex over in that spot across the bay from the lighthouse?"

"Bayley Point? I've never been up there," Max said, "and why not...oh."

"Yeah, after last night, I'd be imagining my dad and Rachel watching us...super awkward," Chloe said.

"Damn, I think I would too now...either way though, the lighthouse seems a bit too risky...and public," Max said.

"In that case, what about pool sex?" Chloe said.

Max rolled her eyes.

"How about we start off with our rooms and go from there," she said with a smile.

"Okay, fine," Chloe said, "but I still expect us to break into the Blackwell pool. It's driving me nuts that my erased self got to do that and  _ I _ haven't yet."

"A promise is a promise," Max said.

She leaned over and kissed Chloe before sitting up and sighing.

"I'm guessing we have to put on clothes now?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, if we want to have another awesome breakfast," Max said.

"Well, Naked Adventures with Max Caulfield had to end at some point," Chloe said, "and it might as well be for a kick ass breakfast."

"But Chloe, the Naked Adventures will continue!" Max said.

"True true," Chloe said, "how about one more for the road?"

"One more what?" Max said.

Chloe leaned over and kissed Max deeply, holding her tightly. When they broke away, they held each other's heads for a moment before Chloe sighed and said, "I fucking love you so much."

Max kissed Chloe's nose and said, "me too, every word."

Max rolled out of bed and strolled to her suitcase while Chloe began searching through her plastic bags. Max pulled folded underwear, socks, and day clothes out of her bag, listening to muttered swearing from Chloe. Max chuckled.

Chloe passed by behind her, holding a pair of underwear, a shirt, and one sock, heading for another small cluster of bags on the other side of the room. As she passed, she lightly slapped Max's rear, causing Max to jump. Max quickly pursued Chloe, smacking her in the same spot.

Chloe turned and smiled, saying, "ooh, I kinda like that."

She winked and continued on.

_ I'll...remember that _ , Max thought.

They dressed and Max checked the time.

"Shit, we just missed our reservation," she said.

"Gee, too bad we don't have any way to turn back the clock," Chloe said, shaking her head with a thoroughly unconvincing expression of sorrow.

Max glared at Chloe, the effectiveness of the look marred by a smile twitching at her lips.

"Come here," Max said, holding out her hand.

Chloe skipped over, causing Max to raise an eyebrow.

"Um...I can't believe I just did that," Chloe said, staring at her legs as if they'd betrayed her.

"Hey, I feel like skipping too," Max said.

"All the same, let's just forget that that happened," Chloe said.

"Never," Max said, grabbing Chloe's hand.

She rewound and the room around them blurred, with colors flashing and ghostly images of themselves moving backwards around them.

Max stopped after a few minutes.

"You know," Chloe said, "I don't look half bad without clothes on."

"Chloe, you look fucking  _ amazing _ without clothes on," Max said, " _ and _ with clothes on. You just look fucking amazing."

"Aww, I love my one-member-strong Chloe Price Fan Club," Chloe said, ruffling Max's hair.

"Are you kidding?" Max said, "I may be the president of said club but it is  _ definitely  _ not just one person. Your mom, Kate, Trevor, Warren,..." Max listed several other people, ending with, "...hell, even David at this point."

She looked up and Chloe turned away, her eyes bright. She raised a hand to her face and wiped something away.

"Damn...something got in my eye," she said.

"Sure, Chloe, sure," Max said, nudging her side.

They left the room and, when they entered the elevator, Max stared at the buttons, hesitating.

Chloe grinned and said, "you haven't seen the photos on the third floor yet, right?"

"Chloe, you're the best," Max said.

"Don't I know it," Chloe said, pushing the '3' button, "this means we'll miss our reservation again."

"That's okay, seems to me that we'll never miss another reservation ever again," Max said.

They wandered through the third floor hallways, Max rushing from photo to photo, pointing out details that Chloe never would have noticed.

"Dude,  _ you _ should be a photography teacher," Chloe said.

Max stopped in her tracks and Chloe said, "Oh shit...sorry...I fucked up." She slapped a hand to her forehead.

"No," Max said, reaching out a grabbing Chloe's hand, "that's...it's a good reminder that I  _ could _ do something like that. Every photo that I take, in its own way, helps erase Mark Jefferson. And if I teach photography someday? And I mean  _ really  _ teach...not just the stuff Victoria and I are doing? That would really help balance the scales."

"Er...you don't  _ have  _ to do that," Chloe said, "it's not your job to...um...balance the scales."

"I know," Max said, squeezing Chloe's hand, "but if it's something I end up wanting to do…"

"Then do it and fucking rock it," Chloe said, "which you totally would."

"Thanks, Chloe," Max said, "I'm glad to have you as President of the Max Caulfield Fan Club."

"Damn right," Chloe said, "speaking of, I need to set up an interview with you and print up pamphlets and send out decoder rings."

"Um...what's a decoder ring?" Max said.

Chloe shrugged and said, "no idea...a ring that decodes stuff? Old school fan clubs and shit sent them out."

Max smiled, shook her head, and they continued along.

After a rewind in a quiet corner of the lobby, Max and Chloe strolled through a foggy morning to breakfast, hand in hand.

_ William and Rachel...or whatever they were...might have told Chloe to hold on to me,  _ Max thought,  _ but I'm going to take that advice too and hold on to Chloe...and never let her go. _

**. . . . .**

"I shouldn't've eaten that scone," Chloe groaned as they walked away from the restaurant.

"I did say that you probably shouldn't get anything more," Max said, patting Chloe's stomach.

"I know," Chloe said, "but it looked  _ so _ good."

"That's why I got one to go," Max said.

"Because you're the smart one," Chloe said.

"No, just better at delayed gratification," Max said, grinning.

" _ That _ is very true," Chloe said, "and I admire it and bow down to it."

"And I got one for you, too," Max said, holding up the small bag in her hand.

"Damn, Max," Chloe said, "you really are the best. But if you show me that bag again any time in the next ten minutes, I  _ will  _ barf."

"Got it: no talking about food," Max said.

"Or thinking...don't even think about it," Chloe said.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm full too," Max said, "and...um...where are we going?"

Chloe had gently steered Max around a corner.

"We're going to walk around this block a few times," Chloe said.

"Ah yes, Chloe and Max in their natural environment: strolling through the fog after breakfast," Max said.

"Take some pictures," Chloe said, "submit them. We can call them Lesbians in the Mist. Win awards. Make money. Use money to buy more breakfast food."

"You mentioned food," Max said.

"Shit," Chloe said, groaning.

**. . . . .**

Once Chloe's digestive situation stabilized, they made their way back to the hotel to gather their things and check out. Max packed her suitcase, putting anything left over into a pair of Powell's totes. Chloe, meanwhile, had tossed everything into her collection of grocery bags, shopping bags, and totes. The swarm of bags crowded the top of the bed and Max, staring at Chloe's handiwork, raised an eyebrow.

"Looks like we'll need to make multiple trips," Max said.

"Yeah, I'm thinking I kinda messed up," Chloe said, adding another bag to the pile.

"Maybe we should go get you a suitcase," Max said.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure my parents had one or two back in the day," Chloe said, "probably gathering dust in the Dark Cavern...er...attic. I was just too lazy to go look for one on Friday."

On their first trip down, they approached the front desk and asked if they could store luggage. The enthusiastic yes from the woman behind the counter turned into a confused, open-mouthed look when Chloe described her "luggage."

The woman found a large laundry basket, into which Chloe piled the bags she'd brought down. After two more trips, they'd cleared out the room.

"Good bye, room," Max said, waving.

"We hardly knew ye, room, and yet we totally fucked within your walls," Chloe said, "in fact, room, thou should feel honored since it was our first time, yo," she turned to Max, "you always say bye to inanimate objects and places?"

"No," Max said, blushing slightly, "just, you know, important ones. This was our first vacation together and...well, like you said, our first for other things too."

"Oh, you mean the fucking?" Chloe said.

"Yes, the fucking," Max said, scrunching her nose but unable to suppress a smile.

**. . . . .**

They dropped the rest of their bags at the front desk and checked out. Stepping out onto the sidewalk, they were greeted again by fog, lighter and thinner than before.

"I feel like we should be cosplaying Sherlock and Watson," Max said, "totally looks like stereotypical London out here."

"Which one of us would be which?" Chloe said.

"You'd totally be Sherlock," Max said.

"Indubitably," Chloe said, "giving us yet another idea for Halloween costumes."

"I like it," Max said.

"Also, I totally wish it was foggy in Arcadia Bay more often," Chloe said.

"Why's that?" Max said.

"Way easier to sneak around and avoid douchebags," Chloe said.

"True...very true," Max said, "so...um, what do you want to do now?"

"Well, I totally need to stock up on some beer before we leave," Chloe said.

Max made a face and Chloe said, "dude, the only shit I can get in Arcadia Bay is, well, shitty. I'll get some hella good beer here and you should try it."

"Ugh...maybe," Max said.

"And I really want to get another tattoo," Chloe said.

"Okay," Max said, "lead the way."

**. . . . .**

Max wasn't sure she would have been able to distinguish the tattoo parlor from the punk store they'd visited yesterday if it hadn't been for the tattoo signage across the windows.

A well-muscled, heavily tattooed and pierced man with a wide, friendly grin handed over a binder full of designs that Chloe passed immediately to Max.

"Don't you want to look through this?" Max said.

"Nah, I already know what I want," Chloe said.

"Oh, what are you getting?" Max said, "something like that?" She pointed at Chloe's elaborately tattooed arm.

"Oh, no, we'd be here for a hella long time for that," Chloe said, "I actually got the idea from looking over your shoulder one time when you flipped through your journal."

"Wait, really?" Max said.

"Yeah, you drew...a smoking gun with a butterfly on top," Chloe said.

_ Wait...I remember that...but wasn't that from the erased timeline? _ Max thought.

She pulled her journal out of her bag and flipped to the week where Chloe had been shot. There were the unfamiliar pages, written by "Alpha Max", who had never experienced anything supernatural. But that Max had, apparently, seen the mysterious blue butterfly...the drawing was there. Alpha Max had drawn the butterfly larger than Max remembered...but it was very similar.

"Wowser," Max said, showing Chloe, "I drew something almost exactly like this in my original journal...but this is Alpha Max's."

"Showing that all Maxes have some pretty rockin' art skills," Chloe said, "so...you gonna get anything?"

Max paused halfway into putting her journal away.

"Um...I don't think so," she said, shoving the journal into her bag, "I...wasn't planning on it. I sort of figured that we'd do our joint tattoo...later."

"Hey, no pressure. You sure as hell don't have to," Chloe said, "but while we're here, if there's anything you want to get inked…" She shrugged.

Max tilted her head.

_ I'd  _ never  _ thought about getting a tattoo before _ , she thought,  _ and I wouldn't have believed that  _ Chloe  _ would have gotten them either, had you asked me five years ago. But...why not, right? If there was something I really wanted? Something that  _ meant  _ something? _

"Does it hurt?" Max said aloud.

"Yeah," Chloe said, "but you can hold my hand and we can laugh about stupid shit. That's what helps me."

Max grimaced. Then she took a deep breath.

"You know, I think there  _ is _ something I want," she said.

"Really?" Chloe said, her eyebrows rising.

"Yeah, a blue butterfly," Max said.

Chloe paused, her mouth slightly open.

"Max, that's...really sweet," she said.

"Can't think of anything I'd rather have," Max said, nudging Chloe and smiling.

"Where...whew...where do you want it?" Chloe said.

"Er...where's a good place?" Max said.

"Not your lower back...just...don't even go there," Chloe said, shaking her head, "and I'm guessing you wouldn't want people seeing it all the time so I'd say upper arm, upper back, or somewhere on your legs."

"What do you think would look better?" Max said, looking back and forth between her upper arms.

"I'd say...upper back...on the left," Chloe said.

"Oh?" Max said.

"Yep, because I'm going to get a tattoo of a doe in the same spot," Chloe said.

"Really? I thought you were going to get the other one," Max said.

"Oh, that'll be my next one," Chloe said, smiling.

Max grinned back.

The man who handed them the binder returned and said, "made a decision?"

"Yep," Chloe said before turning to Max, "want me to go first?"

Max paused for a moment before saying, "no, I want to go first."

Chloe raised an eyebrow and Max said, "if I see you uncomfortable, I might chicken out."

After Max filled out what she considered a surprising amount of paperwork, they approached a chair. Max sat gingerly; Chloe sat on one side and the man settled onto a stool on the other side.

"So," he said, "what'll it be?"

"A blue butterfly on my upper back...here," Max said, pointing to the spot, "er...like this," she pulled out her journal again and flipped to a page where she'd drawn the butterfly.

"Awesome, that's a nice drawing," the man said.

"Thanks," Max said.

"And what kind of blue? The shade you have there?" he asked.

"Yeah...er, actually, the same shade as her hair," Max said, pointing to Chloe.

"Can do," he said, "and how large?"

"Um...medium?" Max said.

The man chuckled and held out his thumb and forefinger about two inches apart against Max's shoulder.

"This big?" he said.

Max looked up at Chloe.

"A little bigger," Chloe said and the man inched his fingers apart.

"A little more," Chloe said and then, "perfect."

"Okay, let me get this prepped and we'll be on our way," he said, moving away.

Max felt apprehensive but calm...it reminded her of waiting for a shot. The tattoo artist soon returned with some cleaning materials; Max removed her shirt, blushing slightly, and he cleaned off the area, scraped a razor along the skin, and cleaned it again. He then left and returned moments later with a stencil, applying it and leaving a purple-blue outline of a butterfly. 

The artist then readied the machine and applied some ointment onto Max's skin.

"Ready?" he asked and Max nodded. She squeezed Chloe's hand.

He smiled at her and approached with the needle.

Max glanced over at the needle and she tensed. Her mind flashed back to the junkyard...flashlights from their phones darting in the night...the prick in her neck. She breathed faster...then she could barely breathe. She felt the prick in her neck again. Jefferson with the camera. The tape around her wrists; the tape around her ankles. She clenched her fists. The click and whir of the camera...click and whir...click and whir. Jefferson's voice wafted out to her...the prick in her neck.

Before the needle could reach Max's skin, she squeezed Chloe's hand tightly and rewound. She could hear Chloe cry out in surprise but squeezed her own eyes shut. When she finally opened them and stopped, they were outside of the tattoo parlor.

"Max!" Chloe said, grabbing her hands, "you alright? What happened?"

Max stepped over and wrapped her arms around Chloe.

"I had...the needle," she said, burying her face into Chloe's shoulder.

Chloe held Max and rocked her gently.

"Shit," Chloe said, "Max, I'm  _ so _ sorry. I never should have suggested it."

"Chloe, it's not your fault," Max said, stepping back, "I said yes to it. I...didn't realize what it would remind me of. I guess...I guess I'm not quite ready for a tattoo yet. And...I think I'm going to need you to come with me the next time I need a flu shot."

Tears welled in Chloe's eyes and she hugged Max close.

"Yeah, Max," Chloe said, "I'll be with you wherever you need me, always."

"That means a lot, Chloe," Max said, "and...I know that we've been having a lot of fun but...I want you to know that I'm here for you too. I  _ wasn't _ for a long time but now I am. In your dream...they told you to hold onto me but I'm holding onto you, too. And...whenever you need to talk about...about Rachel...or William...or any of it...any of those things that I wasn't here for, I'm here now, I promise."

"I know, Max, I know," Chloe said.

"I'm sorry that I freaked out," Max said.

"Hey," Chloe said, lifting Max's chin, "it happens, okay? I know it does...believe me. You'll be walking along, enjoying the sunshine, smoking some weed and then suddenly  _ boom _ ...some fucking thing reminds you. It all comes back. The sights, the smells, the words...and especially the feelings. Damn the fucking feelings. But you'll get through it... _ we'll _ get through it. And if I'm not around when it happens, call me. I'll come. And...and if it happens to me…"

Max looked up to see that little hint of fear...of doubt...in Chloe's face.

"If it happens to you, I'll be there," Max said firmly, "whenever and wherever."

Chloe hugged Max close and said, "thanks, Max."

They held each other on the lonely foggy street until an old man, passing by, stopped next to them.

"You two okay?" he said.

They both jumped and broke apart.

Chloe cleared her throat and said, "yeah, we're okay, thanks."

"Good, good," he said, smiling and continuing on his way.

They stared at each other for a moment before Max said, "well, we'd better go in and get your tattoo."

"We can just leave if you want," Chloe said, "I can always get one later."

"No," Max said, "I'm not going to freak out over  _ you  _ getting one. And I'm totally committed to getting that butterfly tattoo someday."

"And when you do, I'll get my doe one," Chloe said, smiling.

"Besides, that blue butterfly is already tattooed on my heart," Max said, "having it on my skin will be the way to remind you and everyone that sees it that it's there."

"Max the romantic beat poet," Chloe said, "now you're going to make me cry in front of a tattoo artist when I'm supposed to be all badass."

"Sorry, it's what I do," Max said, shrugging.

Chloe ruffled Max's hair and stepped into the tattoo parlor.

**. . . . .**

Max got a good look at Chloe's new tattoo before the artist bandaged it up. Max thought it was a very good replica of what she'd (or, rather, her previous self) had drawn in the journal. A grey and black gun, a faint orange flame curling from the front, and the blue butterfly perched on the barrel.

They both complemented the artist on his work, compliments that he reflected back at Max for her original drawing. They left the parlor to find the fog on the street rapidly thinning.

"So, how is it?" Max said.

"A little sore," Chloe said, "it's been a while since I got one."

Max nodded.

"And how about you?" Chloe said, "you doing okay?"

"Yeah," Max said, "I'm definitely better now...I guess I have to understand my limits before I can push on them."

"Yeah...and we'll kick those limits down...together," Chloe said.

They walked in the general direction of the hotel.

"So...we got your beer and tattoo...anything else you wanted to do here?" Max said.

"Ha... _ you _ ," Chloe said.

"Already done," Max said, "twice."

"Hell yeah," Chloe said, winking.

"And we don't have the room anymore," Max said.

"That doesn't have to stop us," Chloe said.

"Dork," Max said, elbowing her gently.

"To seriously answer your question: not really, no," Chloe said, "how about you?"

"We did everything that I really wanted to do," Max said, "I thought about maybe checking out the Japanese Garden...there might be some great photo...Chloe?"

Max noticed that Chloe was no longer walking with her and turned around. Chloe had stopped in front of a stand of tourist brochures. Max stepped over.

"Hey, did you find something you want to do?" Max said.

"You might say that," Chloe said, "how far do you think you can rewind?"

Max's eyes widened and she said, "um...my limit is about what we did at the private investigators' place a few nights ago so...I don't know...almost fifteen minutes? Why?"

"How far do you think you could rewind if you had, say, a boost?" Chloe said.

"A boost? What do you…," Max started before following Chloe's line of sight to a brochure for the Oregon Historical Society Museum. She tilted her head in confusion before reading, on the front of the brochure:  _ Tens of thousands of artifacts representing Oregon's rich history and culture _ ...she re-read the word 'artifacts' and her eyes widened.

_ She wants to steal that bracelet...the one Miranda told us about _ , Max thought,  _ before the collector sells it to Prescott _ .

"Um...Chloe?" Max continued.

"Yes, Max?" Chloe said, a grin forming on her face.

"You can't be serious," Max said.

"Dude, we totally broke into Chateau de Douchebags last week," Chloe said.

"You and  _ Beta Max _ broke into Sean Prescott's house," Max said.

"Yeah, but you've got even  _ more  _ time wizard skills," Chloe said.

"Do we even know where the guy's house is?" Max said.

"No, but I can find out," Chloe said, pulling out her phone.

"I don't know about this," Max said, grasping one elbow.

"Dude, if we pull this off, it's a win win," Chloe said, typing something into her phone, "you get some power-boostin' jewelry...if what Miranda said is correct...and Sean Prescott loses out on getting yet  _ more _ shit related to this stuff. And, after those dreams we had? Any tool that gives us an advantage is totally worth nabbing."

"You make good points," Max said.

They stood in silence as Chloe tapped at her phone.

"Got it," Chloe said, and Max leaned over, "there's the address."

"Wow...you have mad detective skills, Chloe. But what if he's home or has the artifacts in a safe or something?" Max said.

"We can cross those bridges when we come to them...although...hmm," Chloe said.

She tapped her phone a few times and then raised it to her ear. Max raised an eyebrow.

"Hello," Chloe said into the phone, "this is Maxine Price from the Rhode Island Historical Society...yes...I know and I apologize for phoning on a Sunday but I was told that Mr. Lee might be  _ very _ interested in some items that we have come across...oh yes...they are a collection of fifteenth century wine corks...," Chloe grimaced, "um, yes, that's why they're so special and why I was told Mr. Lee might be interested...is Mr. Lee available to talk now?...not at the office? What about...ah, not at home either?" Chloe gave a thumbs up to Max, "I'm sorry to hear that; do you know when he might be available?...that sounds great…oh shit, it sounds like someone is having  _ epic _ problems in the bathroom. I'll call you back."

Chloe hung up and held out a hand to Max, grinning.

"Would you rewind me, please," Chloe said.

Max smiled and grabbed Chloe's hand, rewinding until they saw the ghostly image of Chloe put the phone down in reverse.

"Nice one, Chloe," Max said, releasing Chloe's hand.

"Why thank you," Chloe said, "and now we know that our collector friend is out playing golf or getting his eyeballs waxed or having botox put in his dick or whatever it is that rich guys do."

"Great...now that those images have scarred me for life, where to?" Max said.


	21. Breaking & Entering Again

Chloe pulled into a parking spot in front of a playground. She shut off the engine and turned to Max, who sat in a sea of grocery bags.

"Doin' okay, Caulfield?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, actually," Max said, "it's kind of comfy. So...what's the plan?"

"There's an ice cream shop right over there," Chloe said, pointing to a squat building on the other side of the playground, "as far as anyone will know, we parked here, walked over there, and chowed down on ice cream before driving home."

"But…?" Max said.

"But," Chloe said, grinning, "Lee's house is about a 20 minute walk that way," she pointed off to the left, "so we head up there, rewind as we go, break in, rewind, get the bracelet, then come back here and, hopefully, mega rewind."

"And if I can't mega rewind?" Max said, "Photo?"

"Photo," Chloe said.

"Sounds like a pretty good plan," Max said, "just...what if the guy's house is a fortress?"

"I looked at the house in street view...it's one of those modern glass box things," Chloe said, smirking, "and, to paraphrase, people who have valuable collections shouldn't live in glass houses."

"Okay," Max said, "I'm in."

"Sweet...now take a picture and let's go!" Chloe said.

"Er, let's rewind a bit first," Max said.

After a brief rewind, Max released Chloe's hand and grabbed her camera.

"Look badass," Max said, pointing the camera at Chloe.

Chloe put one hand on the wheel, propped her elbow on the door, and looked over at Max with a lopsided grin. Max took the shot.

"Wowser, if that turns out as well as I think it might, I'm totally putting it in an album," Max said.

After the photo developed ("Chloe, you are just...amazingly sexy," Max said), Max stored it in her bag and they began the walk towards their target.

They passed through the most deserted places they could find, rewinding at intervals to save themselves time. A few times, a rewind found them back where they were before.

"Someone must have been glancing at us from somewhere," Max said when it happened the first time.

It happened again a few minutes later and Chloe said, "gah...fuckers need to keep their eyes to themselves."

When they reached the address, they strolled right up to the house. As Chloe had indicated, much of the outside was wrapped with windows.

"Break a window or try the door?" Chloe said.

Max stepped up to the door and turned the knob; locked. She shrugged.

"Wish I had my crowbar," Chloe said, "hmm...see if you can find something to either pry the door or break a window."

They wandered around the lawn, looking for anything to help them break in. Max turned a corner and stopped.

_ Jackpot _ , she thought.

In front of her stood a partially-complete iron railing around a small garden. Heavy iron rods were stacked in a loose pile nearby. She grabbed one and hurried back to the front of the house, where Chloe stood holding a large rock. As soon as she saw the rod in Max's hands, she grinned.

"Way to go, G," Chloe said, "want to take a swing?" She pointed to the nearest window.

"I think  _ you're _ the expert at this sort of thing," Max said, handing the rod over to Chloe.

"Can't refuse the offer to smashy smashy," Chloe said.

She stepped over to the nearest window and swung the rod, hard. It smacked against the window, sending cracks spidering outwards...and a tremor through Chloe.

"Fuck, these are some tough windows," she said.

She swung again, hitting the same spot; the cracks multiplied. A third swing and the window shattered. They looked around nervously. No alarm sounded and there was no sound of anyone running towards them.

"I can't believe this place isn't alarmed," Chloe said as she stepped up to the broken window.

As soon as she stepped through, an ear-splitting alarm began blaring.

"You must be fucking kidding me!" Chloe shouted over the alarm.

Max ran forward and jumped through the window. She grabbed Chloe's hand and rewound until the window repaired itself behind them. She stopped the rewind and they stood in the now-silent house.

"Nice job, Max," Chloe said.

"I wouldn't be much of a time traveller if I couldn't get past an alarm," Max said.

They turned and walked towards the center of the house.

"So, any idea where the…," Max started before the alarm began blaring again.

"What the serious  _ fuck _ ?" Chloe shouted.

They retreated back to where they broke in and rewound.

"Okay, this house is way sneakier with security than Sean Prescott's place," Chloe said, "what do you think? Motion sensors?"

Max dropped to the floor and looked at the base of the windows. She examined the supports and saw a small hole.

"Trip sensors, I think," Max said.

"Like, lasers?" Chloe said.

"Yeah?" Max said, standing.

"Dude, this is totally like a spy movie," Chloe said, "we should've brought hairspray or whatever to see the lasers."

"That would be awesome," Max said, "but I think we just need to look for the little holes," she pointed down, "and step over them."

"Lame," Chloe said.

They walked again towards the center of the house, finding another hidden beam emitter in the hall and stepping over it. They rewound there and continued onwards to explore the house. It took them only a few minutes (and tripping the alarm again) to find what they were looking for.

"Holy shit," Chloe said as they stepped over an obvious sensor and into a large room. One entire wall was made of floor-to-ceiling windows with an amazing view of Portland. The rest of the wood-paneled room was populated with display cases. They came in many sizes and, from where Max stood, she could see scrolls, sculptures, tools, and jewelry. And around the rest of the room sat individual displays of swords, suits of armor, and more.

"This is  _ amazing _ ," Max said, her eyes wide as she looked around at the collection, "let's hope that the bracelet is in here."

She began walking along one side of the room, passing by a pair of ornate masks from Bali, a Norse sword, and a decorated clay pot from Crete.

"Dude, check this out," Chloe said.

Max turned to find Chloe wearing a dark helmet with large horn-like structures on the front. In her hands she held a long sword.

"I am Chloe Price, total fucking badass," she said.

"How the hell did you get those?" Max said.

"These? Oh, they were on display stands over here," Chloe said, "this," she pointed to the helmet, "is a samurai helmet and this," she held up the sword, "is from a Holy Roman Emperor. Isn't that badass? I'm a Holy Samurai Empress!"

"Another Halloween costume idea?" Max said.

"Oh hell yes," Chloe said.

"What would I be?" Max said.

Chloe glanced around, squinting at placards, "um...let's see...this hat...these badass necklaces or whatever...and ooh, that thing. Got it: you'll be a Sumerian Goddess of Axes."

"Wowser," Max said, chuckling and continuing her search.

Another minute passed before Chloe said, "hey, Max?"

"Yeah?" Max said.

"I think I found what we're looking for," Chloe said, "it's just...um...come and see."

Max stepped over and found Chloe (samurai helmet still on her head) in front of a display case. The placard on the case read:

**Ornamental Bracelets  
** **Native American  
** **Arcadia Bay, OR**

In the case were three bracelets, each made of a series of stone pieces held together with thin, cord-like rope. Etched onto the stone pieces were the same symbols they'd seen on the other Arcadia Bay artifacts.

"Didn't Miranda say there was  _ one  _ bracelet?" Chloe said.

"She probably just assumed there was one," Max said.

"Not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing," Chloe said.

"We should take all three," Max said, "that way Sean Prescott gets none of them."

"Yup, good plan," Chloe said, "you can wear one and...um... _ I _ can wear one? And the third we can...hide in my attic or something."

"Or give it to Miranda," Max said.

"That," Chloe said, snapping her fingers.

"Okay, now that that's decided, how do we open this thing?" Max said.

"Smash," Chloe said, raising the sword she was still carrying and bringing the pommel down hard onto the glass top of the case. The glass shattered and Max winced, expecting an alarm...but none came.

She reached into the case and grabbed one of the bracelets. As soon as her fingers touched the stones, a tingling sensation raced through her body.

"Whoa," she said.

"You okay? What happened?" Chloe said.

"Just felt...tingles or something," Max said.

She tied the bracelet around her wrist and stared at it; nothing felt different.

"So...does it work?" Chloe said.

"I'm not sure...I guess we should try it out...a really short rewind," Max said.

Chloe held out her hand; Max grabbed it and began to rewind.

_ Wowser _ , Max thought, her eyes wide.

Every rewind she'd ever done had been like wading through syrup...time had always pushed back on her ferociously, tearing away at her stamina and leaving her drained. But now it felt more like walking through ankle-deep water...it felt like driving Jefferson's Bentley instead of Chloe's truck.

_ I have so much  _ control, Max thought, backing off to slow her rewind...slowing it further and further until the ghostly images of her and Chloe's past selves nearly stopped moving.

And then she stopped time completely. Chloe's past image stood frozen, grinning beneath the samurai helmet above the smashed display case. Max's image stared with motionless wry amusement at Chloe.

"Holy shit," Chloe whispered.

Max stopped the rewind and their past images vanished.

"I don't believe it," Max said, releasing Chloe's hand and staring at the bracelet, "rewinding has never been so  _ easy _ . And you saw how I stopped time there? That was  _ so _ hard to do before."

"That was fucking  _ awesome _ ," Chloe said, her eyes wide.

"It feels like I have so much more control now," Max said, "slowing down, speeding up...it's just...wow. Maybe...maybe you should put one on and see what happens."

Chloe eyed the remaining two bracelets warily.

"Hopefully I won't, like, explode or some shit," she said.

"They must be harmless," Max said, "after all, that collector guy and others have been touching them. And as far as we know, none of  _ them _ have exploded."

"True," Chloe said, reaching in and grabbing the nearest bracelet.

She strapped it to her wrist and looked over at Max.

"Anything?" Max said.

_It would be so awesome if Chloe got powers too_ , Max thought, _I know it would make her_ _feel better about all of this. As much as she says she's happy being my bodyguard, I know she'd love to have some badass powers of her own_.

"Dude," Chloe said, her eyes widening, "I can see through your clothes!"

_ What?! _ Max thought, her own eyes widening.

She opened her mouth to respond but then stopped, catching sight of Chloe's lips twitching.

Max narrowed her eyes, struck a pose, and said, "anything different from what you saw this morning?"

"I  _ know  _ I had you there for a second," Chloe said.

"You did," Max said, "I...was kind of hoping something would happen."

"Me too," Chloe said, "but if I do end up with powers someday, I hope it's a little better than seeing through clothes."

"Does seem like that would have very limited uses," Max said.

"Of course, I'd be using it all the time around  _ you _ ," Chloe said, winking.

"Don't I know it," Max said, "okay, let's take these and get out of here."

She grabbed the third bracelet and turned to see Chloe staring towards the front of the house, her brow furrowed.

"You hear that?" Chloe said.

Max listened carefully and heard sirens in the distance.

"Er...no alarms have gone off...they must be going somewhere else," Max said.

"Yeah," Chloe said.

Max placed the third bracelet in her bag while Chloe placed the sword on the nearest case. The sirens grew louder.

"You don't think…," Chloe started.

"Shit," Max said, her eyebrows rising, "maybe we triggered a silent alarm...but where?"

They began searching the room as the sirens continued to grow louder. They couldn't find any sensor holes on the ground or along the walls. Max moved back to the display case and checked under the top, finding what looked like a long sticks of unlit LEDs along opposing sides, hidden beneath the wooden sides.

"Hey Chloe, what do you think these are?" Max said.

Chloe came over and looked.

"Shit, I can't believe we didn't check for that," Chloe said, "those get set off if you put anything between them."

"Like the bottom of a sword?" Max said.

"Yup," Chloe said.

The sirens were now blaring right outside of the house.

"Okay, we got this figured out?" Chloe said, bouncing on her feet nervously and glancing towards the door.

"No, wait, something doesn't make sense," Max said, "the cops got here  _ really  _ fast. We  _ just  _ got these bracelets out."

"So something before that? We already checked the floor and the door," Chloe said. The sirens died away and someone outside began speaking through a bullhorn; they ignored it. Max furrowed her brow before a thought struck her.

"Holy Samurai Empress!" she said.

"Oh shit, you're right," Chloe said, her eyes rising to the helmet still perched atop her blue hair.

They hurried over to the display and began examining it, Chloe ducking down to check the floor. Max couldn't see anything out of the ordinary but, on a hunch, she pressed on the pedestal where the sword had been: it moved downward slightly.

"Hey, Chloe," Max said, "you remember the beginning of the first Indiana Jones movie?"

"Yeah, what abou...oh, are you fucking  _ kidding  _ me?" Chloe said, "you mean these are like the little golden statue?"

"Yep," Max said, checking the pedestal for the helmet as well.

"Fucking hell," Chloe said, "at least we're not getting crushed by a giant fucking ball."

Motion caught their eyes and they looked outside: uniformed police were carefully moving through the back yard.

"Looks like time's up," Max said.

"Okay," Chloe said, standing and removing the helmet, "we rewind to before I grabbed these things?"

"Yeah, and at that point the case there," Max said, pointing, "will be repaired too."

"Awesomesauce," Chloe said, "now let's do some hella time travel before we get tear gassed or something."

Max grabbed Chloe's hand and rewound. She continued until the sword and helmet were back on their mounts. When she stopped, she stood still and blinked for a few moments: that had been the easiest rewind she'd ever experienced. She held up her arm and looked at the bracelet.

_ Wow _ , she thought,  _ this really  _ does  _ make one hell of a difference _ .

Chloe released Max's hand and wandered to the empty case that had held the bracelets.

"You think these also had an Indiana Jones setup?" she said.

"I don't know," Max said, "but maybe we should hang around to see if the cops show up."

"Sounds good to me," Chloe said.

"Just...um...no more hats," Max said, smiling.

"Dude, if I had a little baggy of sand like Harrison Ford did, that helmet would be mine," Chloe said.

They wandered the room to pass the time, looking at the various objects on display. Max found herself very impressed...and a little annoyed.

_ These belong in a museum _ , she thought, imagining Indiana Jones nodding approvingly at her thoughts.

There were also several pieces just begging to be photographed...but Max resisted the urge. They wanted  _ no _ evidence that they'd ever been there...except for the bracelets, of course.

Finally, Max checked her phone.

"I think we should have heard sirens by now if we'd triggered something," she said.

"Yeah, I think we're good," Chloe said.

"So now we head back for the long rewind?" Max said.

"That's the plan...do you...think you can do it?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, I can't even begin to understand  _ why _ , but this thing totally works," Max said, raising her wrist, "that rewind we did a few minutes ago?  _ So  _ easy."

"Ha, now it'll be even easier to sneak into awesome places!" Chloe said.

"I should've known this would only encourage you," Max said, smiling.

They made their way back to the front of the house, carefully stepping over the trip sensors.

"Chloe and Max: ninja burglars," Chloe said, grinning.

She opened the front door and the alarm sounded.

"Fuck!" she shouted.

They ran out of the house and jogged away.

"Chloe, you sure do make a lot of noise," Max called out.

"All for you, Max, all for you," Chloe said, "especially last night and this morning."

"Dork," Max said.

They reached the end of the driveway and ducked behind a short brick wall. Max held her hand out. Chloe took it and Max started to rewind. She quickened the pace...faster and faster...it felt like there was no limit. Birds darted backwards across the sky like rockets; clouds zipped by above in a blur; falling leaves shot upwards.

She glanced at Chloe, who watched the scene shifting around them, her eyes wide and her mouth open.

Max kept going. But as she continued to increase the pace, a note of hesitant fear rose in her mind...so she slowed the rewind to a brisk but comfortable pace. After a few more moments, she felt that they were approaching the time she wanted so she slowed down and stopped.

She looked down at her wrist in amazement; she'd only  _ just  _ started to feel the kind of pressure in her head that had been her constant companion whenever she'd rewound before. Her now-erased practice sessions with Warren and Kate had lessened that pressure considerably...but the bracelet had relieved it almost entirely.

"Dude, that was fucking  _ insane _ ," Chloe said, "are we seriously all the way back to when we left the truck?"

Max looked at her phone.

"Yeah," she said, smiling.

"Shit, you weren't kidding, that thing on your wrist is giving you  _ hella _ boosted power," Chloe said.

"Yeah, it's way different," Max said, standing and helping Chloe up.

They made their way back to the truck, rewinding again once they were back. Apart from the bracelet on Max's wrist, the one on Chloe's, and the one in Max's bag, every hint that they'd been at Mr. Lee's home had been completely erased.

"I think it's time to celebrate this win with some ice cream," Max said, grinning.

She turned to open the truck door but Chloe put a hand on her shoulder, holding her back.

"Hold on a second," Chloe said, "these bracelets are pretty visible like this. Maybe we should hide them."

Max looked down at her wrist.

_ Chloe's right _ , Max thought,  _ if anyone sees us with these, it could get back to Lee or Prescott...and then we'd be really screwed _ .

"Good idea," Max said, untying the bracelet, "any thoughts on where?"

"Um...upper arm maybe...or ankle, I guess," Chloe said, shrugging.

Max set the bracelet on the seat; she half-expected to feel something when it broke contact with her skin...but she didn't feel anything. She reached down, rolling up the right leg of her jeans. She grabbed the bracelet, which sent tingles through her body again, and tied it around her ankle. She held her leg up and shook it a little; the bracelet didn't fall or slide too much. She gave Chloe a thumbs up and rolled the pant leg down.

Chloe had already started to pull her pant leg up, exposing her ankle.

"Ah!" Max said, feigning surprise, "my dear lady! You are showing your ankle in public. How scandalous!"

Chloe tied the bracelet to her ankle and sat up, saying, "I'll show you scandalous."

She reached over the pile of bags between them and wrapped her arms around Max's shoulders, pulling her over for a kiss.

**. . . . .**

After finishing their ice cream reward, Max and Chloe drove back into the city and over to Arcane Mysteries.

"Yo, Miranda," Chloe said as soon as they stepped through the door...and into a cloud of incense that left Chloe coughing.

"Hi," Miranda said brightly from behind the counter, "I didn't expect to see you again so soon!"

"Ah...but we come...bearing gifts," Chloe said through her coughs.

Miranda raised an eyebrow as Max dug into her bag.

"We...um...acquired some special items and wanted to make sure one of them is safe with you," Max said.

Max pulled the bracelet out and held it out towards Miranda.

Miranda's mouth dropped open and she hurried around the counter. She gently took the bracelet and Max noticed a twitch in Miranda's face as she grabbed it.

"Amazing," Miranda whispered, "simply amazing...it really works. I...I can hear your heartbeats...ha! Unbelievable...but how? How did you get it?"

"Actually, there were three," Max said, bending down and lifting her pant leg to show the bracelet there. Chloe did the same.

" _ Three _ ?" Miranda said, "I had no idea."

"And as for how," Chloe said, "maybe it's better if we don't say."

"Ah, probably so...but I can imagine," Miranda said, beaming at Max.

"Actually," Max said, "you know more about the guy who had these than we do...do you think he and Prescott will go nuts looking for these?"

"I...don't think so," Miranda said, "Certainly, Mr. Lee will keep his eyes and ears open and so you should keep these as a carefully guarded secret...as will I. But, as anyone familiar with collectors of old treasures around here could tell you, Lee keeps everything close to his chest...I suppose it's possible that he'd tell Prescott that they're missing...but I think it more likely that he'll make up some story or simply say that he's decided not to sell."

"How do you know that?" Chloe said.

"Because he had a second century Roman sculpture stolen from him about four years ago and no one knew a thing about it until the thief was caught a few months ago," Miranda said, "Lee likes to keep a veneer of invulnerability."

"Well...that helps us," Chloe said.

"Although," Miranda said, chuckling, "he's going to have one hell of a time figuring out what happened to these, if my guesses are correct."

"Oh yes, Bat Max and Chloe Wonder strike again," Chloe said.

**. . . . .**

"Dude, I'm kind of hungry," Chloe said as they hopped back in the truck.

"Me too," Max said.

"Hmm...I wonder where the nearest food trucks are," Chloe said, starting the truck.

Max shrugged among the plastic bags.

The door to Arcane Mysteries opened and Miranda strolled out. Chloe lowered her window.

"Two blocks that way," she said, pointing and eliciting grins from Max and Chloe, "I recommend the one with the fish and chips; you'll know which one."

"Thanks!" Max and Chloe both said.

They waved and departed, making their way to the promised food trucks and finding the recommended fish and chips.

They ate in the truck and with their hunger satisfied, they sullenly agreed that it was time to go home. They played a quick round of rock-paper-scissors to decide who would drive first; Max lost.


	22. The Cabin

They drove out of Portland and towards the lazy afternoon sun. Chloe was leaning back with her hands behind her head and Max drove with one hand on the wheel, propping her chin up with the other. Despite the relaxing atmosphere, brought on by the warm truck and nearly-empty road, Max could feel the beginnings of apprehension bubbling inside: every moment brought them closer to where it wouldn't be so easy to override thoughts of strange dreams, mysterious artifacts, and the shadow of the Prescotts. And, as a minor footnote, she wasn't really looking forward to classes on Monday either. But she managed to keep dark feelings at bay thanks to Chloe, who quickly began proposing ideas for what they'd do next time in Portland:

"We'll get epic tattoos and, like, five bottles of champagne," she said.

"That's...a lot," Max said.

"Yeah, but I'm thinking we'd stay for a week...or two," Chloe said.

"That would be pretty amazing...we could spend an  _ entire day _ at Powell's," Max said, grinning.

"Yep yep," Chloe said, "and we could break into every fancy hotel pool in the city."

"I'm beginning to think that you have an obsession," Max said.

"What can I say, I like immersing myself in warm water," Chloe said.

"Yeah, and when we broke into the Blackwell pool, we spent all of about five minutes in the water," Max said, nudging Chloe with her elbow.

"Hmm...then I guess it's all about the danger factor. Breaking in, getting nearly naked, getting all wet," Chloe said, "in fact…"

"I know where this is going," Max said.

"When we break into a pool: skinny dipping," Chloe said.

"That went exactly where I thought it would," Max said.

"Hey, like I said before, it was basically my first Max fantasy," Chloe said.

Max sighed and said, "well, since you put it that way…"

Chloe grinned.

"Oh," Chloe said, "and we can go hang out with Miranda again."

"That would be nice," Max said.

Chloe looked over at her slyly and said, "and you know what else we'd have to do?"

"Sex every day?" Max said.

"Dude, did you rewind after I said it?" Chloe said, her eyes wide.

"Nope, just best friend and girlfriend sense," Max said.

Their conversation moved into what would be next for them in Arcadia Bay: Max suggested taking some photo trips around town and hanging out more at the pirate fort...and she suggesting bringing others along.

"You want to bring Kate and Warren and other peeps along?" Chloe said, an eyebrow raised.

"Would that...be okay?" Max said.

"Oh,  _ I'm _ totally cool with it," Chloe said, "I love those guys...but I'd always thought you were more of a partners-in-crime, three's a crowd kind of girl."

"I am...or at least I used to be," Max said, "I just...didn't like being around more than just, well, you."

"Yeah, you always used to get really quiet whenever other people were around," Chloe said, "unless it was my parents. It was always so weird seeing bubbly pirate Max turn into a silent little deer."

"I've found that the ability to rewind has made me a more social animal...sometimes, at least," Max said, "but when I  _ am _ being social, I can just redo any fuck ups...it makes it so much easier."

"True dat," Chloe said, "and...holy shit, the same is true for me! If I really fuck something up and you're around, you can totally rescue my ass."

Max laughed and said, "Chloe, you've never needed social rescue from me. I've always admired how you can just say what's on your mind. No hesitations or regrets or filters...you just lay it all out."

"It has its disadvantages," Chloe said, "there are definitely times where it's come back to bite me in the ass. Times where I wish I was more quiet, like you."

"Well, since we've been together again, I feel like I've become more vocal and you've become more...restrained," Max said, smiling and reaching around the pile of bags to pat Chloe's leg.

"It's true," Chloe said, "I like what we do to each other."

She then grinned and nudged Max repeatedly in the leg.

"I know, Chloe, I know," Max said.

**. . . . .**

Sometime after small towns and farmland gave way to forests, Max pulled off of the road to switch drivers. Chloe took the opportunity as they passed each other behind the truck to sweep Max into a tight embrace and give her a long, drawn-out kiss.

Once they were back in the truck, smiles on their faces, Chloe pulled the truck out onto the road again.

"So," Chloe said, "do you think we'll do your place or mine more often?"

"I guess it would be safer to stay over at your place," Max said, "after all, room occupancy at Blackwell is  _ technically _ only supposed to be one person per room at night. And it's only supposed to be students in the dorm after...um...some time that I don't remember."

"Well, you know how much I love to follow rules," Chloe said.

"Point taken," Max said, "and I guess I don't mind sneaking you in and out."

"I can think of other kinds of in and out that I don't mind you doing either," Chloe said.

Max reached over and punched Chloe's arm.

"So...since we don't mind sneaking...and since we have a time wizard advantage," Chloe continued, "I'm guessing that we just do whatever?"

"Do whatever?" Max said.

"Yeah," Chloe said, "so if we happen to be at Blackwell, we sleep in your tiny-ass bed. And if we're crashing on my couch to watch a movie or something, the action happens in  _ my _ bed."

"Sounds good to me," Max said, reaching down to move a bag at her feet, "what about if…"

Max stopped; she felt the truck slowing and glanced up at Chloe, who leaned forward with intense concentration. Max followed Chloe's gaze: out in front of them, on the road, was a doe. It stood motionless, staring directly at them. Max was fairly certain that the doe's eyes were moving between herself and Chloe...and the doe had a fuzzy, translucent form.

"Chloe? You...see that doe?" Max said.

"Yeah, yeah I do," Chloe said quietly.

They stared silently and Chloe brought the truck to a stop, leaving a large gap between them and the doe.

"Is it Rachel?" Chloe said, her voice quiet.

"I'm still not sure," Max said.

"Fuck, I should've asked her in my dream," Chloe said.

"Would she have told you?" Max said.

"Probably not," Chloe said.

The doe turned and walked towards the side of the road, stepping into a wide gap between the trees.

"I think we should follow it," Max said.

Chloe inched the truck forward and to the right. Between the trees was a faint dirt path, easily wide enough for the truck.

"No  _ way  _ anyone could see this from the road," Chloe said.

The doe walked along the path in front of them and turned its head to stare back.

Max and Chloe looked at one another, shrugged, and turned back to find the path in front of them empty.

"Wait what? Where the fuck did she go?" Chloe said.

"She has a habit of doing that," Max said softly.

"So what now?" Chloe said, "er...you're the expert on time ghosts."

"What, from my pHD dissertation on the Permanency of Temporal Apparitions?" Max said.

"It's hot when you talk like that," Chloe said, "and you didn't answer my question."

"I'd say that we follow the yellow dirt path," Max said, pointing ahead.

"Yes, ma'am," Chloe said, inching the truck forward.

Max expected the path to be unpleasantly bumpy...but instead it was surprisingly smooth.

"Dude, this dirt road is nicer to drive on than the actual road," Chloe said.

"Just thinking the same thing," Max said, staring out the window.

Chloe looked over at her.

"You okay?" she said.

"Yeah, I just feel a little distracted...getting that weird feeling again," Max said.

"Are we talking, like, butterfly and Miranda's shop feeling? Or, like, creepster feeling?" Chloe said.

"Not the creepster kind," Max said.

They continued on in silence through the shade of the trees, the rumbling of the truck seeming to be the only sound in the world.

They finally reached a clearing and Chloe stopped the truck. It took a moment for Max's eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight...in front of them lay a small meadow dotted with wildflowers. In the center sat an old wooden cabin, parts of its walls missing and grass growing inside.

"I'm guessing this is where we're supposed to be," Chloe said, shutting off the truck.

They stepped out onto the grass. Max looked around; everything seemed to glow in the sunlight. A hummingbird zipped up and lazily hovered near her hand.

"This is...kind of weird," Max said, watching the hummingbird fly away.

"You know, I can imagine Rachel being in a place like this," Chloe said, "and...my dad."

Max looked over at her; Chloe seemed to be staring off into the distance, a small smile on her face.

"I think so too," Max said, "although...are you sure Rachel wouldn't be in some kind of cosmic mosh pit?"

Chloe chuckled, "yeah, she'd be hella rocking out. But even the most badass punks need somewhere to unwind...I…bet you could see a lot of stars at night from a place like this." She gazed up.

Max strolled over and put an arm around Chloe's waist. They walked slowly over to the cabin and ducked inside. Max released Chloe and strode over to the far side of the single room, pulling out her camera.

"What do you think Rach...er...that doe brought us here for?" Chloe said.

"I'm not sure...there must be something here of interest though," Max said, lining up a shot of the meadow.

_ The lighting here is  _ perfect, Max thought.

She took the shot and then stepped slightly to the left...and nearly slipped on something, jerking her foot away just before the object could slide...and bring her down with it.

"You okay?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, just me being a complete klutz," Max said. She looked down to see what she'd stepped on: a piece of paper, poking out from beneath what used to be a set of rough-hewn drawers. She picked it up and shook it to clear dust and debris off.

"Hey, Chloe, look at this," Max said, walking over to where Chloe was poking at a desk with her foot.

The paper was remarkably smooth and well-preserved. Some of its edges had worn away and it was clearly an old style of paper: yellowish in color. A steady hand had penned a long message. Max held it up and they both read through it quickly: it was from a traveler named Henry, describing experiences abroad.

"Huh, interesting...I guess...but I don't see any connection to any of the shit  _ we're _ going through," Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said, handing the paper to Chloe and making her way back to where she'd found it.

"Although…," Chloe started and Max stopped, "this is weird...this letter doesn't look like it was written with ink."

"Wait, what?" Max said.

"It almost...looks like these words were  _ burned  _ into the paper," Chloe said, looking at the letter carefully.

"You think it might be a fake?" Max said, glancing around nervously, "like from a laser printer?"

"No," Chloe said, "I printed out a shit-ton of missing person posters...I know what laser printed stuff looks like and this ain't it. The paper is also...strange. Like, really weirdly smooth."

"Let's look for more," Max said, frowning.

Max poked around where she'd stepped on the letter and found several more sheets of the strange paper, all with the same kind of writing in the same style.

"Yo, I found some over here, too," Chloe said, holding up a small stack of papers.

They both began reading through the letters. The ones Max read, all written by the same Henry, described travels and meetings with "fascinating" people...and included frequent promises to find a way back to visit.

_ Huh? _ Max thought when she first saw that promise,  _ what does he mean by finding a way back? Was he somehow prevented from coming back...maybe he was a fugitive of some kind? Or pissed off a Prescott ancestor? _

"Hey Max, you get the feeling this dude was in some kind of bizarro dimension?" Chloe said.

"What, you mean all of the 'I'll find my way back someday' promises?" Max said.

"Yeah, particularly since he was visiting Canada in this one," Chloe said, holding a sheet up, "it isn't  _ that _ hard to get here from fucking Canada."

"True, and Canada isn't part of a bizarro dimension," Max said.

"Dude, you sure about that?" Chloe said.

"Have some genuine Canadian maple syrup on a waffle sometime and you will be a believer in Canada," Max said.

"Don't worry, G, I totally believe in Canada," Chloe said.

They continued reading.

"Oh hey, looks like he found a way back," Chloe said, "says he'll meet up with this guy and...dude, get this...asks him to put the letters in his old shack in the woods."

"Okay, this is getting a little spooky," Max said.

Then she reached the bottom of the pile and read the last letter, which looked to be the first that Henry had sent.

"Chloe," Max said quietly, "I think I've found another piece of the puzzle."

Chloe walked over and put her chin on Max's shoulder, staring down.

> **Dear Todd,**

"Holy shit," Chloe said, "you think it's the same Todd? The one Miranda mentioned?"

> **I am so very delighted that you have contacted me. You research has indeed taken you far and your love for the people of the town, both in your words and in your deeds, is apparent. My appreciation for that is abundant. You are correct in many of your assumptions. In years long past when I lived there, I heard many tales from the ones who still knew the old crafts. And though none of them had experienced the terrible disaster that destroyed much of their village, they knew that destruction was foretold when the signs came. Destruction and power. And because I spent much time with them, as you have with their descendants, I saw as they saw and joined them in raising alarm. The settlers, however, did not heed our warnings. Some left when the whales appeared dead on the shore, thinking it an ill omen, and correctly so. Yet others fled in terror when the skies darkened and great winds came upon us. And when the disaster came, it came as a storm. We all fled before it but knew that some had been left behind. Oh, was that storm a thing to behold: a trio of great swirling maelstroms, unearthly light pouring forth from inside. It seemed to me as if the gods of old had come upon us with terrible wrath. I admit that I was nearly consumed by fear. But the reverence of the old folk, my friends, helped hold my fear at bay. And when the storm cleared, I found myself hale and hearty. I feared for the lives of any left behind and decided to venture back where no others would dare. And the old folk urged me along, giving me what seemed strange instruction at the time. From there, you know what followed.**

"What the shit, dude?" Chloe exclaimed, " _ we _ don't fucking know!"

> **And after I came to this place, I understood. I understood that which the old folk either did not know or did not care to know. For their recent ancestors, in their hubris, had made what destroyed them. A magnificent but terrible creation that draws its strength from the very earth and its power from a source that the old folk did not understand. I wish at times that I would have torn that infernal thing asunder. And yet the tools and rituals of old were still sacred to those that were my dear friends and so I did not. I do not know if this was a mistake; whether destruction will come again I cannot tell for my sight is short. I know for now that such devastation will not come and for that I am glad, for you and the townsfolk are safe. I hope to continue this correspondence until we may meet in person. Until then, your letters delivered through your previous means will reach me.**
> 
> **Yours sincerely,**
> 
> **Henry**

"What the fuck?" Chloe said.

"I don't know," Max said, putting the letter down, "I feel like...I feel like we're getting more pieces of this puzzle but we're missing something important."

"If you ask me, it sounds like these damn storms randomly show up to fuck the town up...and if some old people push you to go check things out, you end up in Canada or some shit," Chloe said.

"Yeah, I don't get it," Max said, "he definitely describes the storm I saw...a weird glowing tornado...er, except three of them."

"Did you ever see any visions of ending up in Canada?" Chloe said.

"No...and he definitely went to places other than Canada, Chloe," Max said, holding up the stack of letters.

"Yeah, I know...I just can't get this image out of my head: a prospector-looking dude with a big beard in a flannel shirt standing by a moose," Chloe said.

"Shit, now it's in  _ my  _ head," Max said.

"Were there any other clues in your letters?" Chloe said.

"Nah, yours?" Max said.

"Nope," Chloe said, "you think we should take them?" She gestured at the letters.

Max looked around. The strange feeling that came with the butterfly...and with the doe...seemed to permeate this place, enveloping her and leaving a warm feeling inside.

Max sighed and said, "no, I think we should leave them...but there might be more clues to find here."

"Sure," Chloe said, handing over the letters she'd found.

Max quickly took a picture of the last letter they read (remembering to use her phone) and then put all of the papers back in a drawer. Then, as she checked the various nooks and crannies nearby, she noticed a small string poking out of a drawer. She pulled at the drawer but it was stuck.

"Um," Chloe said.

Max continued trying to pull the drawer open.

"Hey...Max?" Chloe said.

"Hold on," Max said, finally prying the drawer open.

"Sure, yeah, no problem," Chloe said.

Max pulled what appeared to be a necklace out of the drawer: a narrow cord with a small stone disc tied at the end. Max lifted it and turned towards Chloe.

"Hey, I wonder if this…," Max started before stopping, her eyes widening.

Chloe stood just outside of the cabin. A doe, not translucent, stood right next to her, rubbing its head gently on her shoulder. A pair of butterflies fluttered near her head and one, a blue one, sat on her shoulder. A hummingbird hovered near her hand and a squirrel sat on her boot, nibbling at a nut. A raven, perched on a beam above, stared down at her.

"Max, what the fuck is going on?" Chloe said, her face twitching.

"You...look like a Disney princess," Max said, dropping the necklace back into the drawer and grasping for her camera.

"I am the least Disney princess-like person who has ever existed," Chloe said.

"It looks like your new friends disagree," Max said.

"What the hell do I do?" Chloe said, her eyes darting back and forth.

"Just stand still," Max said, pulling out the camera.

_ This is fucking incredible _ , Max thought as she took a shot...and then another...and another. Chloe's expression made Max laugh, which drew the attention of the doe.

"Oh no," Max said as the doe trotted into the cabin towards her.

"Ha, now it's your turn, Princess Caulfield," Chloe said.

Max lifted her hand cautiously towards the doe, which stopped in front of her. She patted it lightly on its snout. It nuzzled her hand before turning and walking away, out of the cabin and towards the woods.

Max turned to Chloe, who was no longer covered in animals.

"Looks like they just came to say hi," Max said, shrugging.

"You've still got one," Chloe said, pointing to Max's shoulder.

She looked over: a blue butterfly was perched on her shoulder.

"Fitting," Max said, smiling.

The butterfly fluttered its wings and flew away.

**. . . . .**

Max looked back through the side mirror, watching as the cabin and meadow shrunk and then disappeared behind them as they drove away. Part of her felt sad to be leaving. There was something...happy about that place.

For the rest of the drive out to the road, her and Chloe were both quiet, lost in thought.

"So," Chloe said as they turned back onto the main road, "what the hell was that place?"

"I guess it was Henry's place," Max said, shrugging, "but...there was something really  _ different _ about it, wasn't there?"

"Yeah," Chloe said, "it was...nice."

"Yeah," Max said.

They were silent again.

"Do you...think that those animals were...um...spirit animals?" Chloe finally said.

"No," Max said, "they were real. Whenever I took a picture of the doe that we've seen...the one that might be Rachel...it never showed up in the prints. But these animals all did."

Chloe nodded and then frowned.

"Dude, this whole thing has me really fucking confused," she said.

"Me too," Max said, brow furrowed.

"I mean, we have a shit ton of leads now so you'd think we could Scooby Doo the fuck out of this but...damn," Chloe said, shaking her head.

"You know, I have an idea for that," Max said.

**. . . . .**

Max seemed to remember it being easier to drag the large wooden board from the back yard up to Chloe's room...and then she remembered that  _ she _ hadn't actually helped with that, having photo-jumped around it during the erased week.

"Oh sure, use your time travel powers to get out of hard work," Chloe said when Max mentioned it.

"Not now, I'm not," Max said, grunting as she helped heave the board up the last few steps.

Max began transferring photos from her phone onto Chloe's computer as Chloe grabbed David's printer from downstairs. With the printer running and the board propped up against Chloe's closet, they set to work printing out photos and writing down notes about what they knew so far. They organized them into five subjects clustered on the board, the same topics they'd come up with at The Two Whales a few days before: the powers, the storm, the Prescotts, the artifacts, and the doe/Rachel. They used colored stickers ("where did you get these?" Max asked. "Fuck if I know," Chloe answered) to mark each item with the source of the information.

Before long, a complex tapestry of photos and notes sprung up on the board...and to Max it looked far more complicated than the investigation into Rachel's disappearance.

"Okay, G," Chloe said, " _ now _ what do we do with this?"

"Now that we have it organized, we can at least connect some dots and see what we can come up with," Max said.

She quickly found some string and push pins in a drawer.

"Where did you get  _ these _ ?" she asked.

"Dude, I have no fucking clue," Chloe said, "I'd say that at least a quarter of the stuff hidden in this room came from someone else...or was a result of me being high as a kite. My stuff, Rachel's stuff, my mom's stuff, my dad's stuff, Eliot's stuff, Steph and Mikey's stuff, stuff I stole off of David..." She shrugged.

"I don't know half of those names," Max said.

"Uh...well...never mind, we'll have time for my stories after we finally get through all of  _ this  _ shit," Chloe said, "hella crazy stuff, trust me. But first, let's play detectives."

They began going over the clues and making connections, with Max connecting various pieces of information with the string. A tangled web quickly formed and Chloe swore under her breath.

"If anyone sees this, especially David, they'll think we're either conspiracy theorists or serial killers," Chloe said.

They continued talking but soon realized that they were going in circles.

"We don't have enough information," Max finally said, sighing.

"Yeah, we can guess all we want but you're right...too many missing pieces," Chloe said, "all we really know is a little more about who gets what powers, that there were storms and shit...plural...and that the Prescotts know shit. Oh, and that the artifacts are a legit thing."

Chloe shrugged.

Max scanned the board again but didn't see anything new.

"Yeah, that basically covers the big points," she said, "any new theories?"

"Nope, my top two are still...uno: the Prescotts started this shit and two: Samuel and the squirrels are behind it all," Chloe said.

Max glanced over to where Chloe had tacked a crude drawing of Samuel, with a crowd of squirrels around him, onto the board.

"Wouldn't that be a hell of a twist?" Max said.

"Honestly, I'd rather have it be Samuel than motherfucking Sean Prescott," Chloe said, leaning back in her chair and lighting a cigarette, "dude, maybe Samuel's the creepster."

"I hope not," Max said, sitting on Chloe's bed, "so...now what?"

"Live life? Eat good food? Fuck?" Chloe said, "you know, the awesome stuff."

"I'm okay with that," Max said with a smile, "but I meant about  _ this _ ." She pointed at the board.

Chloe shrugged and said, "need more info."

"And  _ this  _ time getting info won't involve threatening Frank with a gun," Max said, "er...at least I hope not."

"Shit, now that I think of it, maybe we  _ should  _ be packing heat," Chloe said, taking a drag on her cigarette.

"I don't know," Max said, "that gun brought us nothing but trouble."

"Maybe you should've let me take that sword," Chloe said.

"Show up to a gunfight with a sword?" Max said.

"Er...good point," Chloe said.

"Yeah, I'm thinking that if we show up to a gunfight, we show up with time travel," Max said.

"Now  _ that  _ is an out of the box strategy," Chloe said, "the way of the Bat Max."

"Hella," Max said.

Chloe chuckled and put out her cigarette.

"So...information," she said, leaning forward.

"Okay," Max said, "I'm thinking that it might be worth interrogating Nathan again and maybe, just maybe, trying to get face-to-face with Sean Prescott."

"That's bold," Chloe said, "I like it."

"And until we can get in front of  _ them _ , I think we should interview the homeless woman next to the Two Whales and see what she really knows," Max said.

"Yeah, I kinda dismissed what she said," Chloe said, "but since we met Miranda? Shit, she seems way more legit."

Max nodded and said, "and I think we should do some more footwork...investigate in and around Blackwell since so much seems to happen there...maybe go digging around the Tobanga or something since that's been there for a long time."

"We might also want to check the pool thoroughly," Chloe said.

Max crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"You know," Chloe said, "test to see if there are any...um...aquatic powers going on."

"I'm watching you, Chloe Price," Max said.

"Oh really?" Chloe said, spreading her legs out and grinning.

"You are too much," Max said.

Chloe chuckled and said, "what else?"

Max squinted and said, "we may want to consider breaking into one or both Prescott houses."

"Aww yeah, hot tub party part 2," Chloe said, "and how much you want to bet the Prescotts have more bunkers stashed around town?"

"Seems like a good bet," Max said, her hands tensing. She took a breath and forced memories of the Dark Room out of her head. But the brief memory led her to another thought.

"Actually," Max continued, "we should consider interrogating Jefferson too."

She tried to say it casually but Chloe stared at her intently.

"You okay?" Chloe said softly, scooting over and putting a hand on Max's arm, "sorry for bringing that up."

Max put a hand on Chloe's and said, "don't apologize. It's a part of all of this so it was bound to come up...and it's a part that we still have very little understanding of. Why  _ were  _ the Prescotts cooperating with Jefferson? Did Sean Prescott not know what he was up to? That's a big question mark that we haven't really thought of much."

Chloe nodded, her hand still on Max's shoulder.

"And...I'm okay," Max said, squeezing Chloe's hand, "it's...the memories always hit me pretty hard but it's okay."

Chloe leaned in and kissed Max very softly.

"I love you," Chloe said.

Max's shoulders relaxed and her mouth curved into a smile.

"I love you too, Chloe," Max said.

They smiled at one another until Max cleared her throat.

"I...guess that covers my list of next steps," Max said, squeezing Chloe's hand again, "you have any ideas?"

"Yeah," Chloe said, withdrawing her hand and smiling, "interrogate Samuel."

"Might as well put it on the list," Max said, grinning.

"So when do we start this shit?" Chloe said.

"Ugh, let's give it a couple of days," Max said, stretching her arms, "we can go talk to the homeless woman whenever and we can start inquiring about our other ideas...um...let's say Wednesday."

"I like procrastination," Chloe said, also stretching.

"I was more thinking that I need to catch up on schoolwork," Max said.

"Oh, right," Chloe said, "and...um...what about the, uh, Blackwell stuff we need to investigate? Splish splash?"

"I have a feeling that we're going to need to  _ buy _ a pool someday," Max said, " _ you _ , Chloe,  _ do _ have an obsession."

"I just  _ really  _ want to," Chloe said, "it sounds like so much fucking fun to bust in like badasses and rule the pool."

"Yeah, it kind of is," Max said, "but, if I remember correctly, you're not supposed to go swimming for a while after getting that." She pointed to where a bandage still covered Chloe's new tattoo.

"Shit, you're right," Chloe said, "okay...as soon as this thing is healed, pool time!"

"Okay, I'll agree to that," Max said.

She looked at the board again and shook her head.

_ Hopefully we're making the right call in taking our time with this _ , she thought,  _ it's probably better than rushing in and fucking up...I just hope this stuff doesn't catch up to  _ us  _ before we catch up to  _ it.


	23. Kart & Smash

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains smashing

With evening fast approaching, Chloe drove Max back to Blackwell.

"You'll be back in about an hour?" Max said when they pulled up to the school.

"Yep, will that give you enough time to shower your ass and finish your homework?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, it should," Max said.

"Awesome...and I'm bringing food," Chloe said.

"Nice!" Max said, grinning, "you're the best, Chloe."

"So you keep telling me," Chloe said, smiling softly.

Max leaned over and kissed Chloe before grabbing her suitcase and her extra bags and hopping out of the truck. She stood on the sidewalk and winked at Chloe in lieu of a wave. Chloe laughed and drove away.

Max chuckled and made her way back to her dorm room.

**. . . . .**

She unpacked quickly, dumping clothes onto her couch, stacking her new books neatly next to her bookcase, placing her camera and journal on her desk, and raising her eyebrows in surprise when she found a bottle of wine hidden at the bottom of her suitcase.

"When the hell did she do  _ that _ ?" Max wondered aloud.

She hid the bottle in her closet, shaking her head with a smile.

After a brief shower, she worked on her last piece of homework. She'd nearly completed it when her phone buzzed:

**Chloe** : yo hippie  
**Chloe** : im here with pizza  
**Max** : Yay!  
**Chloe** : u gonna come let me in?  
**Max** : Yep, I'll be right down!

Max ran downstairs and opened the front door.

"Hey, Chloe," Max said, leaning against the doorframe, "long time, no see."

"Ha, be careful using the word 'time', G," Chloe said, grinning.

"As resident time wizard, I think I have a good grasp of the term," Max said, raising her nose into the air.

"Touche," Chloe said, edging past Max and into the dorm.

"Anyone see you come in?" Max said, closing the door and following Chloe to the stairs.

"Nah, I...uh...actuall talked to David earlier and he sorta said he'd turn the other way if he sees me around here," Chloe said.

"Chloe, that's great!" Max said.

"Surprised the fuck out of me," Chloe said, her voice echoing in the stairwell, "I know we're getting into this whole 'family' thing or some shit...but I still expected him to bust me for, you know, sleeping with a student."

"You know, it still surprises me when you say something like that and I realize that it's true," Max said, blushing.

"Yeah, I keep having to remind myself that it's not some wack-ass dream," Chloe said. She stopped in front of the door into Max's hall and said, "it's not a dream, right?"

"I sure as hell hope not," Max said, "and it sure doesn't  _ feel _ like it. I mean...we've both had wacky lucid dreams, right? I think we'd  _ know _ if this was a dream."

"Oh right, you...er...Beta Max told me about that weird nightmare you had...sounded so fucked up," Chloe said, opening the door, "but there was one part you wouldn't tell me about...something about me and the...um...you know, the bunker. I thought it was something messed up but Beta Max said it was just embarrassing."

"Oh...right," Max said.

"And…?" Chloe said.

"Oh...um, hold on," Max said, ushering Chloe to her room and closing the door, "so yeah...you were sort of...dancing up on a couch while I was in the chair. And...um...most of your clothes disappeared."

Chloe laughed loudly and nearly dropped the pizza.

"Holy shit, Max," Chloe said, "sounds like your subconscious was a few steps ahead of the rest of you."

"Yeah, pretty much," Max said with a tiny smile.

Chloe set the pizza box down on Max's bed and kicked off her boots. Max opened her mouth to ask what Chloe was doing...but before the words could form, Chloe stepped up onto Max's couch.

"So," Chloe said, "was it kind of like this?"

She began moving her hips and swinging her arms and, before Max could comment, she reached up and pulled her shirt off, tossing it over to Max with a laugh.

"Oh my god, Chloe, you are crazy," Max said.

"Why thank you," Chloe said, bowing.

She stepped down from the couch and dropped to the floor, cross-legged.

"Dude, let's eat, I'm starving," she said.

Max stared down at her.

"Um...you want me to get back up there and take the rest off?" Chloe said, "I totally will."

"Oh, I know you would," Max said, "I'm just surprised at how quick you went from doing that," she pointed to the couch, "to ready for pizza," she pointed to the floor.

"I am a woman of many mysteries, Max Caulfield," Chloe said, wiggling her fingers in the air. Max chuckled in response.

"You want this back?" Max said, holding out Chloe's shirt.

"Nah, I'm good," Chloe said.

"What if someone comes in?" Max said, glancing towards the door.

"Do you never lock that thing?" Chloe said.

Before Max could respond, Chloe continued, "doesn't matter...I don't care if someone sees me in my fucking bra. And it would  _ totally  _ be worth it to see your face if someone came in."

Max rolled her eyes and stepped over to the door, flipping the lock.

"Boo," Chloe said, giving a thumbs down.

"I could take a photo and post it outside my room," Max said, crossing her arms.

"Nah, that takes all the fun away," Chloe said.

Max grabbed the pizza box and set it down in front of Chloe before sitting down with her back against the bed. Chloe immediately opened the box and grabbed a slice.

"Howdah homerk?" Chloe said, her mouth full of pizza.

"Good...almost done," Max said, grabbing a slice and taking a small bite.

Chloe swallowed and said, "wish we were back in Portland?"

"Hell yeah I wish we were back in Portland," Max said, smiling, "but I'm okay with wherever we are as long as you're around."

"G, you are too fucking adorable," Chloe said, "your words have warmed my heart...which means you'll definitely get some. Er...if you want it."

"I could be persuaded," Max said, turning her head and narrowing her eyes in what she hoped was an alluring expression.

Chloe laughed, which Max took as an encouraging sign. She started to take another bite of pizza but her phone buzzed. She reached over and plucked it from her desk:

**Warren** : Yo Mad Max is Chloe with you?

"Are you with me?" Max said.

"Hell yeah I'm with you," Chloe said, saluting, "what we gonna do? Burn some shit? Take over the dorm? Fill Victoria's room with ball pit balls?"

"I...actually that last one would be hilarious," Max said, "but no, Warren's asking if you're literally with me."

"Oh, then why ask  _ me _ ? You can see me, right?" Chloe said, waving her arms.

"Yeah...just thought it was kinda funny to ask," Max said.

"Giving me an existential crisis isn't funny," Chloe said, sticking her tongue out.

Max responded by sticking her own tongue out.

"I can think of some things you could do with that," Chloe said, smirking.

Max retracted her tongue with an audible pop. Her phone buzzed again:

**Warren** : Maximus? You there?  
**Max** : Yep! I'm here. Chloe is too.  
**Warren** : Awesome. You guys up for some kart and smash?

"Are we up for some Kart and Smash?" Max said.

"Pisha urst en art n mash," Chloe said around another piece of pizza.

**Max** : We're eating pizza right now.  
**Max** : But we're totally up for it after.  
**Warren** : Jealous  
**Warren** : Come to my room when you're ready  
**Warren** : ...to get your asses kicked!  
**Max** : You're ON

"Okay, we're going down to Warren's room to play games after this," Max said.

"You should ask him if it's clothing optional," Chloe said.

"I'm  _ not  _ asking that," Max said.

"But that means I have to put my shirt back on," Chloe said.

"Hashtag Chloe problems," Max said.

"Dude, I'm totally going to use that now," Chloe said.

**. . . . .**

Faced with an empty pizza box, Chloe reluctantly put her shirt back on and they stepped into the hall. As they walked past Dana's door, Dana leaned out.

"Hey, lovebirds," she said, "where you off to?"

"Going down," Chloe said.

Dana's eyes widened.

"...to Warren's room to play video games," Max said quickly.

"Oh really?" Dana said, pursing her lips to the side and putting a hand on her hip.

"It's true," Chloe said with a sigh, "Max is always ruining my verbal fun," Chloe ruffled Max's hair.

"You two are the most adorable couple in the world," Dana said, "just...don't tell Trevor I said that."

"Promise," Chloe said, putting a hand to her heart.

"Can I come with you?" Dana said, "everyone else is out doing stuff and I got stuck with an extra long assignment that I just finished. I could use some company."

"Sure," Max said, "but beware Chloe's bad behavior."

**. . . . .**

Max knocked gently on Warren's door and then Chloe pounded on the door.

"Open up, nerds, the punk police is here," Chloe said.

The door opened and Warren peeked out with an eyebrow raised.

"It was her," Chloe said, gesturing a thumb at Max.

"Well, you'd better put us all in handcuffs, Max," Warren said, "because none of us in here are punk enough."

"Now now, I think  _ I'm _ the only one getting handcuffed by Max," Chloe said, nudging the door open and walking into Warren's room.

"Damn, she's on fire," Dana said.

"Oh, this is pretty normal," Max said. Warren and Dana stared at her and she continued, "and no, I don't own any handcuffs nor have I restrained Chloe in any way."

"Yet!" Chloe called out.

Max shook her head and stepped into the room. Brooke sat on the floor in front of Warren's TV and Daniel sat by Warren's desk, sketchpad out.

"Hi Brooke; hi Daniel," Max said. They both waved at her.

"Alright, who's in?" Warren said.

"What are we playing first?" Chloe said.

"I'm thinking Mario Kart," Warren said. He glanced over at Brooke; she smiled and gave a thumbs up.

"Alright, let's do this," Chloe said.

"Okay, it's me and Chloe in," Warren said, "who else?"

"I'm in," Brooke said.

"I'm still sketching," Daniel said.

"And I'll watch," Dana said, sitting on the bed.

Everyone looked at Max.

"Er...I guess I'm in," Max said.

Warren set the game up and the trash talk began immediately.

"I'm going to chew you up,  _ Graham  _ cracker," Chloe said.

"Oh, you're going to pay a  _ price _ for that," Warren said.

Max glanced over at Brooke, who smiled and rolled her eyes.

The race began and Max felt that it took roughly half a second before she hit a banana and spun out. She managed to get back on track but was distracted by Warren and Chloe's antics, along with Dana's giggling at the same.

"Need some potassium, Chloe?" Warren said.

"Oh dude, fuck you," Chloe said.

"How about another?" Warren said.

"Not this time...eat shell, Graham," Chloe said.

"Shit!" Warren said.

And so it continued, with Max barely stifling laughs as Warren and Chloe continued to taunt one another. Max trailed far behind the battling duo and she had no idea where Brooke was. She glanced over and saw Brooke biting her lower lip, her eyes glued to the screen.

_ Ha, intense _ , Max thought.

At one point she hit at item box and accelerated rapidly, zipping past Warren and Chloe, who were both left spinning.

"Whoa!" Warren said.

"Aw yeah, Max is on  _ shrooms _ !" Chloe said.

Max's surprise boost ended when she slammed into a wall.

When the race ended, both Chloe and Warren sat with their mouths open: Brooke had taken first place.

"Great Scott!" Warren finally said.

Chloe laughed and said, "Damn, Brooke, you're sneaky."

"N64 was my life," Brooke said, sharing a fist bump with Warren.

They played another race with the same outcome. And then another...and again Brooke came in first while Max puttered along in the rear. Soon Chloe and Warren were laying the trash talk on Brooke, and she back at them.

After several more races, Chloe set her controller down and scooted over to Max, wrapping an arm around her.

"Well, I think we can declare Brooke as Queen of Kart," Chloe said, "Warren and I are a mere Prince and Princess."

"And I'm the Jester," Max said, grinning.

"Well, with that decided, it's Smash time," Warren said, crawling over to switch the game.

Chloe turned to Brooke.

"Hey Brooke, you didn't happen to play Smash when, um, N64 was your life, did you?" Chloe said, a tinge of hope in her voice.

Brooke grinned and said, "all...the...time."

"Shit," Chloe said.

**. . . . .**

After a hilariously vicious series of games of Super Smash Bros., Brooke came out on top again. Max, as before, performed miserably by comparison, managing to knock her own character off of the platform many times. However, she was proud of the few times she'd managed to accidentally perform special moves that she still didn't understand...including one that blasted Chloe off of the screen ("What the fuck, Max!?" Chloe had yelled).

After the games, they went through a brief and entirely spontaneous ritual where Dana carried Brooke on her shoulders around the room as Daniel quickly cut out and assembled a paper crown. Dana lowered Brooke down to the bed and Warren approached with the crown.

Warren stood in front of Brooke and bowed, saying, "I hereby crown thee Brooke the First, Queen of Kart and Empress of Smash," he placed the crown on Brooke's head.

"Ha, I'll bet that's not the only smashing that's been going on on that bed," Chloe said, just loudly enough for everyone to hear.

Max had to stifle a laugh as Brooke and Warren both blushed.

"So, what does this queen decree?" Dana said quickly.

"This queen says that you're all great...but I want everyone out so that I can smash by boyfriend," Brooke said, winking at Chloe. Warren turned an even deeper shade of red.

"Respect, Brooke the First, respect," Chloe said.

Dana wrapped both Brooke and Warren in a hug, grinning, and said, "have fun you guys."

Daniel slipped out after Dana with a wave, leaving Max and Chloe with the smiling Brooke and the still-red Warren.

"Alright kids, remember to use a condom," Chloe said, gently grabbing Max's hand, "Max and I need to do some smashing too."

It was Max's turn to turn red.

She glanced at Warren and he gave her a look with a half-grimace and a tiny shrug that she interpreted as, "I guess this is what we get for dating such cool girls."

Max gave a small smile and a tiny shrug back that she intended as, "yeah, awkward...but it's awesome."

Warren grinned.

"Bye," Max said as Chloe pulled her away and into the hall.

They strolled down the hall and to the stairs, hand in hand.

"So," Max said as they walked up the stairs, "surprised by how the games went?"

"Yeah," Chloe said, "I'm hella good at those games and Brooke still wiped the floor with us."

"Oh well," Max said, "I guess I'll have to settle for taking someone who's just  _ good _ at the games to my bed."

"Oh, I'll show you what I'm good at," Chloe said, spinning around and pushing Max to the stairwell wall. They smiled at each other and then Chloe pressed her lips hard against Max's. She held Max's head with one hand and began slipping the other into the front of Max's jeans.

Max's eyes widened and Chloe pulled away, laughing.

"Chloe!" Max whispered. Chloe's fingertips still lingered beneath Max's waistband.

Chloe leaned forward and whispered into Max's ear, "I don't hear anyone...and you've got the rewind."

"I...oh wow," Max said, smiling and blushing, "okay."

Max gasped as Chloe slid her hand fully into Max's jeans, her fingers falling between Max's legs.

"Wowser, Chloe," Max said, followed by a moan.

Chloe responded by kissing Max again.

Tentatively, Max reached forward and slipped her own fingers into Chloe's pants...and stopped. She could feel Chloe laughing through the kiss and broke away.

"Chloe," Max said, "you aren't wearing any underwear."

"I took a shower and then I was in a hurry!" Chloe said.

"Sure," Max said.

"Complaining?" Chloe said with a grin.

"Nope," Max said, pushing her hand further down.

Chloe sighed and pressed Max against the wall again.

_ This is  _ crazy _! _ Max thought as Chloe kissed her,  _ we're totally in an open space here...with our hands in each other's pants! _

After a few moments, Chloe broke away and, breathing rapidly, she said, "as much as I trust Super Max and the rewind...which, by the way, would be a bitchin' band name...maybe we  _ should _ take this back to your place."

Max could only manage a nod, reluctantly pulling her hand out of Chloe's pants.

They climbed the rest of the way to Max's floor.

Before opening the door, Chloe said, "have to say though...totally wouldn't mind doing  _ that _ again."

They crept back to Max's room and, as soon as the door closed, they were in each other's arms. Max tugged Chloe's shirt off and threw it to the floor.

"Damn, G," Chloe said, pulling her bra off and tossing it aside, "you're a beast."

"I learn from the best," Max said breathlessly, reaching down and unzipping Chloe's jeans.

"Now hold on there, tiger," Chloe said, to which Max made a clawing motion with her hand and said, "rawr." Chloe laughed as she reached down, pulling Max's shirt up and off. She threw it over her shoulder and it hadn't hit the floor before Max had her own bra off.

They pressed against one another again and Max slipped her hand into Chloe's pants, moving her fingers in tight circles.

"Shit, Max," Chloe moaned, "you're on  _ fire _ ."

She stepped back to kick off her boots. Max slipped her pants and underwear off in one swift motion before hopping on one foot to remove one sock and then hopping on the other for the opposite sock. Chloe laughed.

Max stuck out her tongue as she removed the bracelet on her ankle and Chloe said, "dude, only  _ you  _ could be so damn sexy and so damn goofy at the same time."

Chloe grabbed Max's shoulders and gently pushed her onto the bed. Max reached up and pulled Chloe down on top of her, planting kisses everywhere she could on Chloe's face, ears, neck, and chest.

"I can't believe that we can just do this whenever we want," Max said.

"Even in stairwells," Chloe said.

Max punched Chloe in the arm.

Chloe slid her arms under Max's back and rolled to pull Max on top of her. Max laughed and kissed her until Chloe rolled them over to the side and sat up.

"What's up?" Max said.

"I was wondering...um...I'd like to...er...would you let me go down on you?" Chloe said.

Max furrowed her brow and said, "um...I'm not one hundred percent sure what that means."

"Oh...this," Chloe said, forming a 'V' with her fingers in front of her mouth and sticking her tongue out.

"Oh," Max said, "yeah, that's what I  _ thought  _ it was...just wanted to be sure. And...um...yeah, I guess?"

"Dude, we don't have to," Chloe said with a smile, "we  _ never _ have to do anything you don't want. Just wanted to offer 'cause I totally have it in my head right now."

Max pondered for a moment, absentmindedly stroking Chloe's knee through her jeans.

"You won't be...grossed out or anything?" Max said.

Chloe tilted her head and said, "no, remember?" She stuck her fingers into her mouth.

Max blushed a little and said, "oh, right."

"Max, you're definitely  _ not _ gross," Chloe said, "no way. Everything you've got going on is hella hot. I  _ know  _ I'll have fun doing this." She grinned.

Max smiled and said, "well, in that case."

She rolled onto her back and dropped her knees outward.

Chloe grinned and leaned over, kissing Max and then slowly working her way down, kissing from Max's chin to her abdomen and then along the insides of her thighs.

Chloe stopped and Max tilted her head to look down, seeing Chloe's smiling face.

"You ready?" Chloe said.

Max nodded.

She watched as Chloe lowered her head and then gasped with the first gentle touch. What followed blew Max's mind...the warmth, the ever-changing sensations, the  _ intensity _ of it...even though Chloe was mostly using her tongue, it was a full body experience. And more than that too: every time she looked down, her heart seemed to fill up as she watched Chloe look back up at her brightly from between her legs. And when it was over, she lay gasping and shuddering with aftershocks.

Chloe heaved herself up and laid next to Max.

"Holy...shit...Chloe," Max said, looking into Chloe's eyes, "that...was so fu...fucking amazing."

Chloe grinned and said, "I could tell."

Max made a sound somewhere between a groan and a moan, falling back to her pillow.

"That was also...really fucking  _ fun _ ," Chloe said, "turns out there's a lot you can do with your tongue."

Max rolled onto her side and kissed Chloe.

_ Why do her lips taste differ...oh, right _ , Max thought.

She relaxed into Chloe's arms, letting her breathing steady and her heartbeat slow. Chloe kissed her forehead and her cheeks and ran a hand slowly through her hair. Max smiled and sighed, laying quietly in Chloe's arms.

When she felt like she could move her limbs again, she glanced up at Chloe and said, "that was  _ so _ good, Chloe. I...kind of want to try it on you."

"Wait really? You sure?" Chloe said, her eyes widening.

"Are you kidding? After what you just did to me? You have  _ got  _ to experience that too," Max said.

"I sure as hell won't say no to  _ that _ ," Chloe said, flipping over onto her back.

Max gingerly crawled down to Chloe's knees and sat up.

"I'm pretty amazed you still have pants on," Max said.

"Me too," Chloe said, "everything happened so fast. Totally your fault that I'm overdressed right now."

"I'll fix it," Max said, grabbing Chloe's waistband.

Chloe lifted her hips and Max pulled the pants off and tossed them to the floor. She also pulled Chloe's socks off, narrowingly avoiding a kick to the face from accidental tickling.

"Sex is more hazardous than I thought," Max said, staring warily at Chloe's foot.

"Holy shit...I'd feel so bad if I kicked you," Chloe said.

"Probably not as bad as my face would feel," Max said.

"Maybe this should be a lesson in the dangers of tickling," Chloe said, her lips twitching into a smile.

"Oh really?" Max said, giving Chloe a lopsided smile, "you  _ do _ know that I'm in the perfect place to prove that tickling, when done properly, is perfectly safe...for me."

"Oh, I know," Chloe said, "I'll take the risk."

Max shook her head and stared down as Chloe spread her legs out.

"So...um...what am I supposed to do?" Max said.

"Ha, you think  _ I _ knew what I was doing?" Chloe said.

Max scooted forward between Chloe's feet and leaned her head against Chloe's knee.

"Sure  _ seemed  _ like you knew what you were doing," Max said, smiling and running her fingers along Chloe's thigh.

"Well, you know about as much as I did," Chloe said, "just...remember to come up for air."

"What if it's...not good or something," Max said.

"Max, you worry almost as much as I do," Chloe said, "I'm so fucking happy just to be with you that you could probably sit there with your chin on my twat and recite beat poetry and I'd still be the happiest girl around. So yeah," she tilted her head up and grinned down at Max, "do whatever you think I might like...or whatever seems fun. I promise I'll tell you if it's not working."

Max smiled back and dropped down to the bed. She glanced up and looked into Chloe's eyes, then down.

_ Okay,  _ Max thought,  _ I'll just do what it felt like Chloe was doing. And wow...I can't believe that I'm actually looking forward to doing this. Like, legitimately excited...I totally thought I'd be grossed out but...now it just seems awesome. And if Chloe enjoys this half as much as I did… _

Max glanced back up and locked her eyes with Chloe's as she scooted in closer.

_ Okay _ , she thought,  _ here it goes. _

As soon as Max made contact, Chloe moaned and fell back to the pillow, making Max laugh.

"Are you laughing at me?" Chloe said.

"Yep," Max said.

_ Hmm _ , Max thought,  _ I  _ do  _ need to take some revenge for all of Chloe's hijinks...and this presents a perfect opportunity. And with this revenge, she'll know she's  _ licked _. I'll leave her stunned with my  _ tongue _ -in-cheek antics. _

She chuckled to herself and extended her tongue to touch ever so slightly, causing Chloe to twitch. Max backed off. Then she did it again.

"Oh...you are  _ so _ evil," Chloe moaned.

"Yep," Max said before doing it again.

"I'll never pull tricks on you again," Chloe said.

"I don't believe that for a second," Max said. She made a brief touch again.

"No more teasing," Chloe said.

"I don't believe that either," Max said; another tiny touch.

"I'll even cut it out with the nicknames," Chloe said. Max looked up at Chloe, who sported what looked like an amused grimace.

"But I  _ like  _ those," Max said. She reached up and danced her fingers up Chloe's sides, causing Chloe to yelp and squirm.

"Gah! That tickles!" she said.

"Oh, yeah, I suppose that  _ would  _ tickle," Max said, grinning.

"Holy shit you are so…," Chloe started before Max used her tongue again, stopping Chloe mid-sentence.

"I'm what now?" Max said.

"Nothing...nothing," Chloe said.

"I'm nothing? That's sad," Max said, pouting.

"You are having way too much fun with this," Chloe said, unable to keep the hint of a laugh out of her voice.

Max nodded.

"Okay fine, you're definitely not nothing...you're beautiful and sexy. You're hella talented. Oh, and you're one hell of a tease," Chloe said.

"All true, all true," Max said, swinging her legs back and forth behind her and darting her tongue forward again.

"And you know," Max continued, "I suppose I do like all of your tricks," she licked again, "and your teasing," she did it again and Chloe collapsed to the pillow, "so...I guess…"

Chloe raised her head and said, "you guess what?"

_ I guess I'm done with the teasing because now I  _ really  _ want to try this _ , Max thought.

Max shrugged, stuck her tongue out at Chloe, and then ducked down to get started for real.

Max loved every little reaction she got out of Chloe: the twitches, the sounds, the full body motions. Chloe rested her feet on Max's back and ran her hands through Max's hair while Max let her own hands wander. Max had to remember, as Chloe advised, to come up for air every once in a while, using her fingers while she rested her tongue. And each time she took a short break (or just glanced up), she invariably saw Chloe's face either pinched with pleasure or grinning down at her.

When Chloe began to breathlessly repeat to Max that she was getting close, Max picked up the pace, just as Chloe had done with her. She glanced up and saw Chloe clamp her hands over her mouth, only partially muffling the scream that came next. When it was over, Chloe limply scooted to the side and Max crawled up to join her, dropping heavily to the pillow.

"Max...Max...holy shit...Max that was...fucking amazing," Chloe said, breathing heavily, her eyes bright, "I've never...that's wowser as fuck."

Max opened her mouth to respond but Chloe reached over and grasped Max's head behind her ear and pulled her into a kiss.

When Chloe backed away, she smacked her lips briefly and said, "why the hell do your lips...oh, right."

Max laughed and said, "I thought the  _ same _ thing earlier."

"Great minds think alike," Chloe said, grinning.

They both laughed loudly before settling into a peaceful silence. Max put a hand on Chloe's side and Chloe gently stroked Max's hair.

For nearly two weeks, Max's life had been filled with moments of terrible horror...and with moments of perfection. And now, as she stared into Chloe's eyes, she finally felt like the perfect moments were starting to drown out the horror.

"Chloe?" Max said.

"Yeah?" Chloe responded, her eyelids starting to droop.

"Thank you for this," Max said.

"For what? The sex?" Chloe said, smiling.

"No...well, yeah," Max said, "but I meant for making it so safe...while also pushing me to trust...and try new things."

Chloe's eyes opened widely and she said, "wait, did you feel pressured?"

"No, not at all," Max said, running a hand through Chloe's hair, "you just opened the door and said that it's okay to go through...and that it's okay not to. Without that, I probably would've been content just making out forever...and would've missed out on all of this...missed out on being so much closer to you...and having this much fun."

"Dude, if the last few days have demonstrated anything, it's that you've got  _ hella _ libido. You've just been hiding it away under layers of hipster. I think you would've  _ eventually  _ wanted to do this," Chloe said.

Max chuckled and said, "yeah, you're probably right...but I feel like you've given us a head start."

"Hey, it's the least I can do when  _ you  _ gave us the chance to be here like this in the first place," Chloe said, "and when you gave me the chance to actually be here at all."

"This isn't...you don't feel like you owe me this, do you?" Max said, her shoulders tensing.

"No, no way," Chloe said, shaking her head, "I do owe you big time, Max...but this? I've wanted this so bad. Honestly, sometimes I've worried that I've pushed my wants onto  _ you _ . That I'm making you do what  _ I _ want. Fuck, not too long ago that's what I  _ was  _ doing to everyone. Everything was me me me. And I wonder sometimes if that's still there." She looked towards the ceiling.

"I don't think so," Max said, reaching out and turning Chloe's head towards her, "I...well...there are so many times when I don't  _ know _ what I want. Remember how you'd always ask what I wanted and I'd just throw the question back at you?"

"Ha, yeah," Chloe said, smiling, "and I'd come up with something awesome and…," she frowned, "wait, did we ever do anything  _ you  _ wanted to do?"

"That's the point," Max said, smiling, "the things that  _ you  _ wanted to do  _ became  _ the things I wanted to do...it made me so happy to do things that made  _ you _ happy. If it had just been me, I would've just wandered around taking photos, listening to music…"

"Hipster music," Chloe interjected.

"...and writing random shit in a notebook," Max said, "and I know that's what I would've done because that's what I  _ have _ been doing for the past few years. No pirate adventures, no couch forts, no wine tastings, no exploring cool places...just...photos and notes."

"But...there have to be other things you like doing," Chloe said, "you really wanted to get books at Powell's and...stuff."

Max laughed.

"Really, Chloe," Max said, "when there are things I want to do, I tell you...like going to Powell's...or going to take photos. And I know you'll always be up for those things. But with most things? I love to be your adventure sidekick. You give me reason to do cool things...to live life in front of the viewfinder instead of behind it."

"Damn, Max," Chloe said, "and you...you give me reason to...shit...hold on. I just had it. Fuck. Wait...right: you give me reason to not get lost in the adventures. To actually care, you know? Caring about you, yeah. But also about other people. Fuck, even this stupid town. I guess we  _ are  _ a hella good match."

"That's right," Max said, "I love you, Captain Adventure."

"And I love you, First Mate Adorable," Chloe said.

They pulled each other close and kissed gently until they drifted to sleep.


	24. The Calm...

"Good morning, sunshine," Max heard as her eyes fluttered open.

She caught a brief glance of Chloe's smiling face before she squeezed her eyes shut and yawned, stretching her arms out.

"Good morning to you too," Max said, opening her eyes and smiling.

Max glanced up and around; the room was filled with subdued light from outside.

"It's cloudy," Max said, "I want to go back to sleep."

"Oh no you don't," Chloe said, kissing Max's forehead, "it's Monday, you have class, and we need to get ourselves...say it with me…"

"An assbuster breakfast," they both said.

"How long have you been awake?" Max said.

"Eh, just a few minutes," Chloe said.

"Watching me sleep?" Max said, smiling.

"Yeah, just a bit," Chloe said.

"Creeper," Max said, her smile shifting to a lopsided one.

"Hey, you're hella cute. Couldn't look away," Chloe said.

"You know, you are too…," Max started, lifting her arm. The motion caused the covers to rise and Max glanced down.

"Oh," Max continued, "I keep forgetting when we're naked."

"Yep yep," Chloe said, wrapping an arm around Max's shoulders and dragging her into a tight embrace.

"Oof," Max said before snaking an arm around Chloe and sighing.

"I like this," Max said.

"Yeah, me too," Chloe mumbled into Max's shoulder.

A few minutes passed with neither of them moving until a thought crept into Max's head.

_ Shit _ , she thought, her eyes widening,  _ I don't think I set an alarm _ .

"Hey, Chloe?" she said into Chloe's hair, "do you know what time it is?"

"Er...no," Chloe said.

Max rolled back and reached over to her phone. She glanced at the time and bolted upright.

"Oh crap," she said, "class starts in twenty minutes!"

"Shit, are you cereal?" Chloe said, "I thought it was way earlier."

They looked at each other until a smile dawned on Max's face.

"What?" Chloe said.

"I think it's time...to rewind," Max said.

"You did  _ not  _ just say that," Chloe said.

"I totally did," Max said.

"Please don't make that your catchphrase. I love you but that was bad," Chloe said.

Max furrowed her brow and said, "but...yeah...I guess you're right...back to the drawing board for my one-liners."

"Good," Chloe said, "you deserve better. So...how far can we rewind?"

"Er, decently far if I grab the bracelet," Max said. She threw the sheets off and scrambled to the floor, looking around.

"Do you happen to remember where I threw it?" she said.

"No...and if I did, I'm not sure I'll tell you," Chloe said, "I'm enjoying the show."

Max looked up, eyebrows raised, from where she was peering under the bed; Chloe watched her from above with a grin.

"You're such a dork," Max said, resuming her search.

"Don't lie, it makes you feel good to know I'm staring at your naked ass," Chloe said.

_ She's right _ , Max thought.

"Okay, fine," Max said. She spotted the bracelet partially hidden under her jeans and grabbed it, immediately feeling a tingling sensation rush through her body. She sat cross-legged and looped the bracelet around her ankle before hopping up onto the bed and sitting in front of Chloe.

"Care to travel with me?" Max said.

"Why, madame, I would love to," Chloe said, extending her hand.

Instead of taking the offered hand, Max wrapped her arms around Chloe's shoulders and began rewinding.

She kept going, almost effortlessly, until she began to feel pressure building. She stopped the rewind and sat back.

"Damn, that fucking amazes me... _ every _ time," Chloe said.

Max checked her phone: she'd taken them back nearly forty-five minutes.

_ That's incredible _ , she thought, her eyes wide _. _

"Okay, we have about an hour before my first class...which is, like, fucking unbelievable...I can rewind  _ so _ far now," Max said, "anyways, do you think that's enough time to brush our teeth and stuff and get food?"

"Can we go back  _ another  _ hour so we can have time for some...other things?" Chloe said with a mischievous grin.

"You are  _ so _ bad," Max said, "and how are you not...you know...a bit sore?"

Chloe looked down and said, "yeah...probably a good idea to give the little girl some rest."

Max nodded solemnly and said, "she's had a lot of action over the past few days."

"Damn right she has," Chloe said, holding out her fist.

Max smiled and bumped Chloe's fist. Chloe swung her fist back and splayed her fingers out, making an explosion sound.

They rolled out of bed and dressed quickly...and yet Max could swear that Chloe managed to touch every single part of her body before she covered up. Max, on the other hand, only managed to get a gentle slap onto Chloe's rear before Chloe pulled her pants up.

"Nice try, G," Chloe said, "but you can smack way harder than that."

Max shook her head.

"I will remember you said that," Max said.

"I'm sure you will," Chloe said, "but knowing you, it will take three...maybe four more tries for you to work up to a real  _ spank _ ."

Max stuck her tongue out.

Chloe turned and let out an exaggerated gasp, pointing to where the Captain sat atop Max's dresser.

"Max!" Chloe said, "the Captain was sitting there  _ the whole time _ ," she leaned in close and whispered, "I think he saw  _ everything _ ."

"It's okay, Chloe," Max said, patting Chloe's arm, "every teddy bear reaches a time in their life when they have to acknowledge that their people have grown up. They then have to make peace with the fact that their people do naked wrestling sometimes."

"I'll bet he's seen you polishing the pearl more than once," Chloe said with a snort.

"Actually, I always turned him around when I did that," Max said.

"Of course you did," Chloe said, ruffling Max's hair.

Max stared at the Captain for a moment, smiling.

_ It's so crazy that just a couple of weeks ago, the Captain was listening to me complain about too much homework and Victoria's bitchiness _ , Max thought,  _ and now he's listened to me roll through different timelines and fall in love with my best friend. I wonder if  _ he  _ remembers all of the different timelines _ .

"Having a moment, G?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, just thinking about how much has happened over the past few weeks...and how crazy it would seem from the eyes of a neutral observer, like the Captain," Max said.

"Maybe  _ he's _ behind all of it," Chloe said.

"Captain, how  _ could  _ you?" Max said as dramatically as she could.

The Captain stared back at them with his one eye, stoic as ever.

Chloe laughed and said, "yep, we've sure been through a lot...shitty things, yeah...but some pretty damn fun things too, wouldn't you say?"

"True," Max said, absentmindedly reaching down and grabbing her bag, "and when this is all over, I'm looking forward to reminiscing about  _ just _ the fun adventures."

"There were some very  _ tasty _ adventures in there too," Chloe said.

"Yeah, between getting to visit the Two Whales again and everything in Portland, it's...," Max started before looking up to see Chloe sticking her tongue out.

"Is  _ that _ going to become an obsession too?" Max said, crossing her arms.

"Oh yes, totally," Chloe said, "and I fully intend on experimenting more with our newfound hobby."

"I...think I can roll with that," Max said with a smile, stepping to the door.

"I've got  _ ideas  _ too," Chloe said as Max opened the door, "I've heard that if you hum…"

They stopped in Max's doorway; Victoria stood across the hall, staring at them with a smirk on her face.

"Oh no," Max said.

"Oh yes, Maxine," Victoria said, "you know, these walls and doors  _ aren't _ soundproof."

"Shit," Max said.

Victoria's smirk widened and she said, "things got pretty loud last night. Sounds like you give good head, Max."

Max blushed.

"Oh yeah she does," Chloe said, making Max groan.

"Better than you?" Victoria said.

"No, she's amazing," Max said...before quickly clamping a hand to her mouth.

_ Why do I completely forget to  _ think  _ before talking sometimes? _ she thought.

Chloe wrapped an arm around Max's shoulders and grinned.

"So then Max is the quiet one...makes sense," Victoria said.

"Yep," Chloe said.

"You two also laugh...a lot," Victoria said. Her smirk disappeared and her brow furrowed slightly.

"Dude, we were having so much fucking fun," Chloe said, squeezing Max.

"Yeah," Victoria said, her shoulders slumped ever so slightly.

Max looked at Victoria carefully.

_ I wonder if she's ever had someone that laughed with her like that _ , Max thought,  _ it...doesn't seem like it. It also looks like she's never thought about it before...and maybe it's what she really needs _ .

At that moment, Kate emerged from her room. Her eyes widened at the sight of the three of them in the hall and then she giggled, making Max blush even more.

"Hey, Kate," Chloe said, "I'm guessing you...um...heard the show?"

Max groaned again and Kate nodded, a sheepish grin on her face.

"Well then, since everyone knows how hella awesome it was, I think we deserve some congratulations," Chloe said, raising her hand in front of Victoria.

Victoria frowned and reluctantly raised her own hand, limply accepting a high-five from Chloe. Chloe turned to Kate, who hesitated before reaching over and high-fiving Chloe with enthusiasm.

"Max?" Chloe said.

Max sighed and high-fived Chloe.

She turned to Kate and Victoria and said, "did we...um...bother either of you?"

Victoria made a dismissive gesture and said, "I've heard worse. Do your thing; as long as you're not smashing furniture or screaming like you're being murdered, I'll sleep through it. If you do wake me up though, I won't hesitate to come over there and…"

She paused.

"Can't think of something that doesn't sound dirty?" Chloe said.

Victoria sighed and said, "you get the idea."

Max looked over to Kate, who shuffled her feet and said, "I know what to expect, living in a dorm," she smiled, "and besides, I heard laughing more than anything else."

"Thanks, Kate," Max said, "and...um...if either of you do get bothered, please let me know and we'll...um...tone it down."

Kate nodded and excused herself; Victoria looked as if she didn't know what to do.

"Well," Chloe said, "I'm going to go brush my teeth quick since my mouth still tastes like pizza and...um...pizza."

She hurried off towards the bathrooms. Before turning away, Max caught sight of a sad smile on Victoria's face.

"Victoria?" Max said.

Victoria turned to Max, her eyes narrowed

"You'll find someone to laugh with," Max said, "I know you will; you're amazing and you deserve it."

"I...thanks, Max," Victoria said, a miniscule smile touching her face before she turned back to her room.

Max walked over to the bathroom and found Chloe brushing her teeth.

"Pizza and what now?" Max said, crossing her arms.

"Shut uh," Chloe said around the toothbrush.

Max chuckled.

**. . . . .**

At the Two Whales, Chloe had finished her omelette, Max was halfway through her waffle, and Chloe's foot was halfway up Max's leg when Max's phone buzzed.

Max grabbed the phone.

"Huh," she said, "Warren is texting me."

**Warren** : Yo Max. You around?  
**Max** : At the Two Whales with Chloe.  
**Max** : Have you made it here yet?  
**Warren** : The diner you guys mentioned last week? No  
**Max** : YOU HAVE TO TRY IT. IT'S THE BEST!  
**Warren** : Damn you really like that place

"Warren still hasn't been here," Max said.

"What? Are you kidding me?" Chloe said, yanking her phone out of her pocket.

As Chloe began typing rapidly, Max returned to her phone:

**Max** : It's awesome and Chloe's mom works here.  
**Max** : Take Brooke here for breakfast.  
**Max** : Totally recommend the waffles.  
**Max** : Or the bacon omelette.  
**Warren** : I had no idea that you were so big on this  
**Warren** : and Chloe too...holy shit  
**Warren** : she's sent me like twenty texts  
**Warren** : I think she's texting me the menu

"Chloe," Max said, "I think you're scaring Warren."

"That's okay," Chloe said, still typing, "fear is good for a young man like Warren. It builds character."

Max grinned and shook her head.

**Max** : Just promise you'll come eat here tomorrow and she'll back down.  
**Max** : I think...  
**Warren** : Cool...doing that  
**Max** : You WILL love it though  
**Warren** : Okay sent  
**Warren** : Anyways wanted to let you know they cancelled classes today.

Max paused, a feeling of unease settling into her stomach.

"Hey, Chloe?" Max said.

"Hold on," Chloe said, "I think Warren's broken down...yeah, totally got him to commit to an assbuster breakfast. Okay, what's up?"

Chloe looked up with a grin that vanished as soon as she looked at Max.

"Dude, you okay?" Chloe said.

"Classes got cancelled today," Max said.

"That's awesome!" Chloe said, dropping her palms to the table, "we can hang out all day and...you know, experiment and shit." She winked.

"Yeah...it's just...something doesn't feel right about this," Max said, "it happened so suddenly."

Chloe's brow furrowed and she said, "did Warren say  _ why  _ they cancelled?"

"No," Max said, "I'll ask."

She glanced down, seeing that a couple more texts had arrived:

**Warren** : So if you're away from campus, you don't have to come back.  
**Warren** : You still there?  
**Max** : Yeah  
**Max** : Any idea why classes were cancelled? Is everything okay?  
**Warren** : I think everything's ok.  
**Warren** : They just said that a board meeting was called...all faculty and staff  
**Warren** : I asked Ms. Grant and she didn't seem worried  
**Warren** : Shit...I hadn't thought much about it...now I feel kinda worried  
**Warren** : I don't think there's anyone missing or anything  
**Warren** : maybe its a funding thing? Someone retiring?  
**Max** : We probably would've heard something if it was an emergency.  
**Max** : I guess we'll find out.  
**Warren** : yeah  
**Warren** : well Brooke and I are going to hang out  
**Warren** : let us know if you guys want to do anything.  
**Max** : Will do! Thanks!  
**Warren** : see ya

Max put the phone down...then she picked it back up and thought for a moment before sending a message to Kate:

**Max** : Hey Kate, did you hear that classes were cancelled for today?

She waited, drumming her fingers on the table. Then she breathed a sigh of relief as soon as her phone buzzed with a reply:

**Kate** : Yeah  
**Kate** : There's some kind of board meeting or something  
**Kate** : I hope nothing's wrong  
**Max** : Probably not. Warren said Ms Grant didn't seem worried.  
**Kate** : Oh ok  
**Kate** : That's good to hear. Thx!  
**Max** : No problem, see you later!  
**Kate** : TTYL

Max put the phone down.

"So...someone burn the school down?" Chloe said.

"No," Max said, "sudden board meeting."

"Huh, sounds boring as hell," Chloe said, taking a sip of orange juice, "burning things is way more fun."

"Maybe I'm just overly sensitive to...um...unusual things happening," Max said.

"Understandable," Chloe said, reaching over and patting Max's arm, "that being said...kinda weird for them to do that. Pretty disruptive, right?"

"Yeah," Max said, shrugging, "I guess we'll find out what's going on later."

"Yep," Chloe said, "and since you've got no class, let's go for a walk or something...take your mind off it."

"That sounds like a good idea," Max said, smiling, "where do you want to walk?"

"Maybe up the beach? Head towards the lighthouse?" Chloe said, "make Scully and/or Mulder get their shoes sandy?" She gestured towards the familiar PI vehicle parked across the street.

Max chuckled and said, "yeah, that sounds nice."

**. . . . .**

They waved to Joyce on their way out, leaving the truck by the diner and crossing the street towards the beach.

Hand in hand, they walked around the gas station and over to the rusting hulk of a small fishing boat. Max paused, dragging Chloe to a stop and staring up at the boat.

"Ah," Chloe said, "is this a Maximum photo moment?"

"Hells to the yeah," Max said, reaching for her bag.

"We  _ really  _ need to work on your language," Chloe said, grinning.

Max continued to stare at the boat as she pawed into her bag, her pre-photo serene smile fading into a frown. She looked down, pulling the bag in front of her and opening it wide.

"Shit," she said, "I don't have my camera."

" _ What _ ?" Chloe said, peeking over Max's shoulder into the bag, "you never go  _ anywhere  _ without your camera!"

Max thought back.

"Ugh," she said, slapping a palm to her forehead, "I left it on my desk. And…," she dug through the bag again, "my journal too."

"Do you still have your emergency photos?" Chloe said, her voice suddenly tense.

Max reached into the pocket where she kept the photos and immediately felt the familiar thick stack of polaroids.

"Yeah, still got those," Max said.

Chloe sighed in relief and Max glanced up at her.

"Sorry," Chloe said, "I just feel a lot better if I know you can escape...if shit goes down."

Max reached over and squeezed Chloe's hand.

"Chloe, if I  _ ever _ have to use one of those photos, my priority is making sure you'll be safe," Max said.

Chloe opened her mouth, closed it, opened it again, and then closed it.

Finally, she said, "I know."

They stood by the derelict boat, silently holding hands before a seagull screeched loudly above, making them both jump.

Chloe laughed and said, "you want to head back up to Blackwell to get your camera? Or over to my house to get your other one?"

"It does feel...weird to not have one," Max said, "but I can survive without one for an hour or two."

"You know...I think this is kinda my fault," Chloe said.

"How so?" Max said.

"Well, can you think of any unusual things you've done recently that might cause you to be forgetful?" Chloe said.

Max chuckled and started to roll her eyes but glanced up and saw that Chloe's brow was furrowed.

_ Oh _ , Max thought,  _ she's being  _ serious  _ about it _ .

"Chloe, it's really no big deal," Max said. She put an arm around Chloe's waist.

"But Max, this means so much to you," Chloe said, "I don't want to fuck it up."

"Chloe, you haven't fucked  _ anything  _ up," Max said, firmly squeezing Chloe's waist, "you're an inspiration for me, both for my photography and for...just  _ me _ . There are  _ always  _ going to be shots that I'll miss. I actually used to get really anxious about that...about missing perfect shots. But I finally accepted, a couple of years ago, that it's okay. There are moments of beauty to capture  _ everywhere  _ and I don't have to capture  _ all _ of them. And you know what? It was  _ your  _ voice in my head that convinced me of that."

"You're joking," Chloe said.

"No, I'm totally cereal," Max said.

Chloe chuckled and said, "weirdly enough, that convinces me more than if you'd said 'serious'."

"As it should," Max said.

"Thanks, Max," Chloe said, "that means a lot."

"And you mean a lot to me," Max said, standing on her tiptoes and giving Chloe a kiss.

Chloe smiled and said, "you could use your phone...for the boat, I mean...it  _ does _ have a camera."

"Ugh, no thanks," Max said, "I'm fine using the camera phone for snooping and stuff. But for my own photography? No way."

"Now  _ that's _ my hipster," Chloe said, ruffling Max's hair.

They stepped away from the boat and out onto the narrow boardwalk along the beach. Sand crunched under their shoes as they walked.

"The last time I was here," Max said, "there was a giant fucking tornado...right there," she pointed out into the bay.

"Dude, I still can't imagine how terrifying that must have been to see in real life. I'm surprised I didn't shit myself. Or piss myself. Or just run the fuck away."

Max snorted and said, "I think by that point we'd been through so much crap that we were honestly a bit numb."

"So, like, 'eh, big ass tornado? Whatevs?'" Chloe said.

"It kind of felt like it...I don't think it really sank in what we were dealing with until we were up by the lighthouse," Max said, glancing up to the white spike atop the cliff above.

"Oh yeah, wasn't that when you had that acid trip of a nightmare?" Chloe said.

"Yeah, and you carried me up there," Max said.

"How romantic," Chloe said.

"Want to carry me up there again?" Max said, smiling.

"How about this: if you collapse into a weird dream again, I'll carry your ass," Chloe said.

"Oh, in that case…," Max said before fluttering her eyes closed and dropping slowly to the ground, laying down and sticking her tongue out.

"Dude, you're making it look like you died. You don't look like you're having a wacky ass dream," Chloe said.

Max withdrew her tongue and started mumbling incoherently.

"I have a solution to this," Chloe said, crouching down.

Max opened an eye slightly then shut it.

Chloe reached out and tickled Max's sides. Max yelled and tried to yank Chloe's fingers away but Chloe laughed and continued the attack. Max tried to tickle Chloe but couldn't reach.

"No...fair," Max said between laughs, "your...arms are...freakish...ly long."

Chloe finally stopped, laughing too hard to continue. Max glared at her before sitting up.

"Fine," Max said, "I'll just have to get you to carry me some other time."

Chloe stood up and reached down to help Max up.

"How about from the shower to the bedroom?" Chloe said as Max brushed sand off of her clothes.

"I'm not opposed to the idea in principle," Max said, "but I imagine that it would be a little awkward to have the other girls in my hall see that."

"What about at my house?" Chloe said.

"You want Joyce or David to see us instead?" Max said.

"Oh yeah, that's worse," Chloe said.

"For  _ you _ ," Max said, "they're both equally awkward for me."

"Well then, I'll just have to carry you around clothed at some point...and then naked once we have some privacy," Chloe said.

"I approve," Max said.

They continued along the path, soon reaching the area where Frank sometimes parked his RV...and where Max had walked with the wheelchair-bound Chloe in the alternate timeline.

"Hey, you okay?" Chloe said, "you got really quiet."

"Um, yeah," Max said, "I just remembered...you and I came down here in...in that other timeline."

"Oh," Chloe said.

They stopped and stared out at the bay. Choppy waves cut through the water and wind whistled through their hair.

"I think about alternate realities sometimes," Chloe said.

Max looked up at her.

"Er...after everything you told me. Got me thinking," Chloe continued, "I wonder about how things could have been. I sometimes think that maybe, somewhere out there, there's a  _ perfect  _ universe...one where my dad never died. One where you stayed here," Max squeezed Chloe's hand and Chloe squeezed back, "or where we moved up to Seattle  _ with  _ you guys...what would those have been like?"

"They sound pretty nice," Max said.

"Yeah...but even though we've been through hella shit, I'm happy with where we are," Chloe said, "I mean, fuck, I'm not  _ dead _ ...can't complain about that. Of course I wish that my dad was still here. I wish Rachel was still here. And I wish you and I had been together these last few years...but then I'd be totally different and so would you. We wouldn't be...us."

Max nodded.

"And then...there'd have to be alternate realities where things  _ really _ went to shit," Chloe said, her face falling, "ones where I died...where you died...where the town was fucking leveled. When I think of that...I feel sad...and lucky...and...well, that's when I hope that there  _ aren't _ alternate realities out there."

Max paused for a moment before saying, quietly, "I like to think that everything, somehow, turns out okay...in  _ all _ of those realities. Maybe one of us doesn't make it...maybe neither of us makes it...but I like to think that it all  _ means  _ something. And that includes this one."

They stood for a few moments in silence before turning, together, and continuing along the path away from the beach.

They walked quietly into the shade of the trees before Chloe chuckled and said, "there could also be hella ridiculous alternate realities."

"What do you mean?" Max said.

"Well, how about this: you and me. Both in Arcadia Bay. We've spent the last few years competing viciously for the coveted position as...are you ready for it?...the person in the Hawt Dawg Man costume," Chloe said.

"Oh my god," Max said.

"And in the end," Chloe said, "we realize how much we have in common…,"

"Insanity, apparently," Max interrupted.

"...and tear off each other's costumes and have crazy wild sex," Chloe finished.

"Let me guess," Max said, "every scenario you think of is going to end with crazy wild sex?"

"Duh," Chloe said.

"Oh really?" Max said, smiling slyly, "what about a reality where you ended up with Victoria and I ended up with...um...Kate."

"Are you shitting me?" Chloe said, "how would that even work?"

Max shrugged and laughed.

"Okay," Chloe said, "how about this: you and I started a kick-ass punk rock band. A  _ hella  _ awesome band. And instead of going to town with our groupies we…?"

Chloe nudged Max.

Max sighed and said, "have crazy wild sex with each other?"

"Bingo," Chloe said.

"And in yet another universe," Max said, "our band plays harmonica and kazoo."

"I'm not sure what to think of that," Chloe said.

"What if we were the world's most famous harmonica and kazoo band?" Max said.

"Still not feeling it," Chloe said.

"And what if we had tons of crazy wild sex?" Max said.

"Okay, I'm warming to the idea," Chloe said.

"You are  _ such  _ a dork," Max said.

They continued along the path up towards the lighthouse, sunlight streaming through the trees around them. As they walked, they invented ever more outlandish and bizarre possibilities for their alternate selves.

When they neared the lighthouse, Max felt a sudden jolt of recognition: they'd reached the spot on the path where everything began...she'd been standing right  _ here  _ in her first vision of the storm. She stopped, staring up at the path ahead.

"...and then we'd be ruling Seattle with an iron fist...er...fists, I guess," Chloe was saying. She noticed that Max had stopped and turned, "yo, Max, what's up? Not liking the Seattle takeover universe? Want a bigger target? Bet there's one where you become President...of the fucking  _ world _ !"

"No," Max said, chuckling, "just remembering that this is kind of where it all began a couple of weeks ago."

"What do you mean?" Chloe said, frowning.

"The first time I had a vision of the storm," Max said, "it started from right here."

"Yeah, and then you kicked that storm's ass," Chloe said, grinning.

Max smiled back and said, "I guess you're right."

Chloe held out her hand and Max took it; they continued up to the lighthouse in silence, stopping next to the bench at the top and staring out over the bay.

"This has always been one of my favorite spots," Max said.

"Me too," Chloe said, "I mean, don't get me wrong...I always loved our pirate fort. But whenever we were up here? It's funny that so few people come up here. It's always felt like it's ours."

Max leaned in and put her arm around Chloe's waist; Chloe laid her arm around Max's shoulders.

"I love you, Chloe," Max said.

"I love you too, Max," Chloe said.

Max smiled and turned towards Chloe but sudden pressure exploded in her head. The world seemed to spin around her and she tried to cry out as everything went dark.

**. . . . .**

Max opened her eyes, the brief silence of unconsciousness replaced by deep rolling thunder...constant, unrelenting thunder. The tops of the trees around her swayed in the wind, illuminated by flash after rapid flash of lightning in the dark sky. Max shuddered, drawing her hoodie close as she staggered to her feet.

Rain lashed down from above and Max held her hand up to shield her eyes.

_ No _ , Max thought,  _ no no no...this is not good... _ really  _ not good. _

She glanced around desperately; Chloe was gone...and so was the lighthouse. Max had returned to the unfamiliar woods from her dreams. She turned in a circle, squinting into the trees. At first she could see nothing but then, out in front of her: the doe, staring at her.

"What is this? What are you showing me? Why now?" Max shouted.

The doe turned and began walking away. Max followed, holding her arm up and stepping carefully. The doe trotted up the small rise where they'd stopped before and Max could see where the trees thinned out in front of them. Like before, a dim figure was visible out in the open space.

Up ahead, the doe stepped past the treeline, turned back towards Max, and vanished. Max hurried forward, the rain soaking through her hoodie and water dripping from her hair. She ran out into the clearing.

But then she came to a sliding stop, her gaze torn away from the shrouded figure and out to her right. She stared, open-mouthed, while her mind tried to process the scene before her.

Recognition came first: she'd never been to this spot before but now knew exactly where it was. She stepped slowly towards the edge of a cliff. The bay spread out below her and there, on the far side, stood the lighthouse, its spinning beam nothing more than a thin whisper of light in the face of the fury in the bay.

Max's fears and expectations told her that she would find a tornado here, a massive, swirling column of death sweeping towards Arcadia Bay. Instead, the bay was filled with light: a towering cloud swept slowly towards the town, an eerie pink glow flashing from within and with dense sheets of lightning blasting into the waves below.

The sight was terrifying...and beautiful. Max stepped closer to the edge of the cliff, her eyes sweeping across the shower of lightning as her entire body shuddered with the continuous blasts of thunder.

_ Maybe _ , she thought,  _ if it's just lightning… _

A pink bolt of lightning struck the cliff in front of Max, blasting a chunks of rock in all directions and sending Max toppling backwards.

She quickly scurried back away from the cliff, her eyes wide.

_ That's  _ not  _ normal...that's not normal at all _ , she thought.

The lightning struck the sides of the cliffs on both sides of the bay, each strike like dynamite. Bolts began falling among the forests atop the cliffs, toppling trees and starting fires that were quickly quenched in the rain. To Max's right, a tree was hit and fell into the bay.

_ This...this  _ is  _ just like the tornado _ , Max thought,  _ it'll destroy everything _ .

She looked over at Arcadia Bay, its lights faint in the face of the relentless flashes of deadly lightning. Max felt like she couldn't think...like she couldn't move. She watched as the storm crept closer to the town, filling the bay. On the other side, a bolt of lightning struck the lighthouse and Max watched, horrified, as the lighthouse exploded.

The vision around her faded to white.

**. . . . .**

Max jolted upright, gasping.

"Max!" Chloe said.

Max looked up at Chloe, who leaned over, her hands on Max's shoulders. She saw the lighthouse behind Chloe; the bench; the shack...she was back where she'd been.

"Max," Chloe said, "what happened?"

Max locked eyes with her.

"Chloe, there's going to be a storm," Max said, her voice strained, "another storm is coming."

" _ What _ ?" Chloe said, "are you sure?"

"I...I don't know," Max said, shaking her head, "I had another vision...it...it was definitely a storm. It was...different though. Not a tornado. It was lightning...so much lightning that just blasted things apart. It was...Chloe, it's coming. It  _ has  _ to be coming."

Max clutched Chloe's arms and Chloe tightened her grip on Max's shoulders.

"I believe you, Max," Chloe said, "I believe you. Do you know  _ when  _ it's coming?"

Max shook her head.

"What do we do?" Chloe said.

"We warn people," Max said, planting her hands on the ground and pushing herself up, "this isn't going to be like last time. I'm not going to make a choice like that ever again."

"Dude, they'll think we're crazy," Chloe said.

"Not if it's anything like last time," Max said, "we should have a few days...and some weird shit will start...snowing, birds dying, eclipses, all of that shit. Once that starts, I know that we can get Warren convinced. And if  _ he's _ convinced, he can probably convince Ms. Grant. From there, we should be able to get people out."

"Okay...okay, that sounds like a good plan," Chloe said.

"We'll do this, Chloe," Max said, "we'll get everyone out. It's time for us to be everyday heroes."

"Okay...even if that's hella cheesy," Chloe said.

Max managed a small smile before looking down at the town.

"We're going to save everyone," Max said, her smile disappearing, "but the town...I think that storm will destroy it."

"Didn't you say it was a bunch of lightning?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said, furrowing her brow, "but there was so much of it. Just...constant lightning. And it wasn't normal; the whole storm had this weird glow to it, just like the tornado did."

"Well, maybe if it's just lightning it won't be so bad," Chloe said.

"That's what I thought," Max said, "until a bolt of lightning blew up part of the cliff in front of me...and then another one blew up the lighthouse."

"Shit," Chloe said, her eyes wide.

"Let's head back and make a plan," Max said, "we can figure out exactly who we'll tell and we can start looking out for the signs. I think Warren will be key...but maybe there are some people who we can convince right away."

Max grabbed Chloe's hand and began leading her towards the path back to town.

"Alright, Super Max, I'm with you," Chloe said.

Max turned towards her and opened her mouth but heard a sudden whistling sound. Before she could turn to look, she felt a sharp prick in her neck and a sudden numbness. Her eyes widened and she immediately extended her hand to rewind. For just a moment, time seemed to waver to a stop. But the numbness spread and her senses clouded; time slipped out of her control.

_ No _ , Max thought,  _ no...this can't... _

She tried to speak aloud...to warn Chloe. She could see a confused expression on Chloe's face...and then suddenly, a small dart protruded from Chloe's neck.

Max felt her legs collapse under her and she could only watch as Chloe's shocked expression melted away and her eyes fluttered shut. Chloe fell slowly to the ground and the world around Max turned dark again.


	25. Trapped

Blurry light; a shadow moved in front of her to the left...and then to the right. Words...distant...indistinguishable. Max's consciousness crept back slowly, her thoughts fuzzy and unfocused.

The room sharpened around her. Ceiling-high bookshelves lined the walls of the room and a large, sturdy desk sat nearby. Across from her, a large painting of a buck hung from the wall, partially obscured by a tall, balding, well-dressed man, his back turned towards Max.

_ This _ , Max thought, barely able to form the words in her mind,  _ this...is...Sean Prescott's study. Has...to be. _

It looked exactly as Beta Max's had described it in the journal.

_ But...why?  _ she thought,  _ what's... _

Max squinted and shook her head, trying to clear her foggy mind. She tried to reach up to rub her eyes...but her hand didn't move. She frowned and tried again; nothing.

She looked down.

Thick leather bands held her wrists tightly against the armrests of a chair.

Max stared for a moment, her mind spinning, unable to comprehend. She tried to raise her hands, watching as her wrists strained against the bands. She could feel it now...a tight sensation, holding her down.

Her mind suddenly and violently cleared, her eyes widening and adrenaline rushing through her. She yanked her hands upward repeatedly, to no avail. She tried to kick outwards...but her legs encountered restraints as well.

Her breathing quickened and she twisted in the seat, unable to think. Tears welled in her eyes and the faint sound of a clicking camera trickled into her ears. She could almost feel a cold floor against her cheek...could almost  _ see  _ the flash of a camera. She could hear Jefferson's voice, a whisper in the distance...taunting.

She saw movement in front of her and then a voice, a real voice. But she couldn't focus on it, couldn't hear what it was saying. But it grew more intense, rising above the whispers and the clicking camera in her head.

"Miss Caulfield," it said.

She pulled against the restraints, gasping.

"Miss Caulfield!" the voice said again.

She twisted, squeezing her eyes shut.

" _ Miss Caulfield! _ " the voice shouted.

Max's eyes snapped open and she looked out in front of her. The sounds of the Dark Room died away, replaced with the sound of her heart pounding in her chest.

In front of her, on a wide TV screen, was the image of a man, a frown on his face and his brow furrowed...and he looked familiar. Her eyes were drawn to the side: the man she'd noticed earlier stood a few steps away from the screen, his expression blank.

"Miss Caulfield," said the man on the screen, drawing her attention back, "are you calm enough to speak?"

Max stared and her thoughts became even and quiet; she nodded.

"Good," the man said, sitting back and smiling, "I thought we might have to sedate you again. Your reaction was...far more intense than anticipated."

Max opened her mouth to speak but no sound emerged...her mouth was parched and she had to swallow a few times before trying again. The man on the screen simply watched.

"Who…," Max began before her own memory answered the question.

_ Sean Prescott _ , Max thought, eyes darting around the room again.

"Who am I?" Prescott said, a small smile on his lips.

Max shook her head.

"I  _ am  _ sorry, Miss Caulfield," Prescott said without a trace of remorse in his voice, "the sedatives were quite powerful. It may take some more time before you're...fully capable again."

Max stared intently at the screen before noticing the camera directly above it; she directed her stare to that instead. Prescott stared back at her.

Max attempted to rewind; but other than a brief flicker, nothing happened.

_ Fucking sedatives _ , Max thought.

She saw Prescott glance over to his right and he chuckled.

Max ignored him and glanced down at herself. They had her strapped to the chair tightly and had taken her hoodie. Other than that though…

Her eyes suddenly widened.

On her ankle, she could feel the small stones of the bracelet against her skin.

_ Wow, okay _ , Max thought,  _ this is good...this is really good. Maybe, just maybe, it will let me rewind back to before we… _

She sat up straight.

"Where's Chloe," she asked, her heart beating rapidly again.

Prescott nodded towards the man in the room, who walked silently over to a wall with a door and a dark window. He flipped a switch, illuminating a room on the other side of the window.

Max clenched her fists but also breathed out a quiet sigh of relief.

Chloe, strapped to an angled table on the other side of the window, blinked at the sudden light. She turned her head to look at Max, her eyes intense and her brow knotted in anger. A piece of duct tape stretched across her mouth.

"I would have preferred to allow Miss Price to speak during this, but her attitude was...very belligerent," Prescott said, "we didn't have to sedate her as heavily as we did you...and once she woke up, her invective became very...annoying."

Max managed a grim smile as she saw Chloe raise two middle fingers from under her wrist restraints.

"Well, now that you're both awake, we can move on to business," Prescott said, "I need you to perform a particular ritual for me, after which you will be free to go."

Max glanced at Chloe before glaring at Prescott.

_ What the fuck is he playing at? _ she thought.

"Across from Miss Price is a mechanism holding a gun," Prescott said, causing Max to jerk her head towards Chloe. Chloe rolled her eyes.

"The gun is aimed at Miss Price's head and will be triggered in...about ten minutes," Prescott continued, glancing over at something on his end.

"I won't let you kill her," Max said, her voice low and sharp.

"Miss Caulfield, I sincerely hope that you'll prevent Miss Price from being killed," Prescott said, "you see, the gun will go off in ten minutes if none of us acts. Should you open the door into that room, the gun will go off. Should you be selfish and attempt to escape at the cost of your friend's life, I will gas the room and you will both die."

Max's eyebrows raised and she glanced at the man in the room with her. He seemed surprisingly unperturbed by that statement.

_ Is Prescott bluffing? _ Max thought.

"So," Prescott continued, "you will have to be...creative in rescuing your dear friend."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Max said.

"I'm sure you'll find a way," Prescott said, waving his hand, "we will release your restraints before the time is up; the door into that room isn't locked."

"I don't get  _ any  _ of this," Max said.

"I need you to make me a storm, Miss Caulfield," Prescott said.

Max glanced at Chloe, who looked as confused as she felt.

"Um," Max said, "I think you've made a mistake, Mr. Prescott."

"I'm sure I have not...at least with this," Prescott said, "admittedly," he shrugged, "I have been wrong about other things. In the days leading up to the incident between Miss Price and my son, for instance, I was  _ so _ certain that there would be a  _ magnificent _ storm...a devastating storm," he chuckled, "I even thought I might be reading the signs wrong...but I checked again and again...always the same result. But then, despite telling Nathan  _ exactly _ what he needed to do? Nothing. You didn't do it, Miss Caulfield; you didn't stop my son from shooting Miss Price. You should have...but you didn't."

Max stared, her expression blank and her mind whirling. Chloe glanced back and forth between Max and Prescott, her eyes wide.

_ What the fuck is going on?  _ Max thought,  _ how could he have possibly known that the shit that went down in the bathroom would cause a storm? How could he have known about  _ any  _ of that? _

"After that, I despaired that you hadn't received a power at all," Prescott said, causing Max's eyes to widen again, "I thought that I would have to start from scratch...again...but then...my tools never lie and I discovered that you  _ did  _ have the power. I knew then that I'd have another chance. Of course, your power is very difficult to deal with," he sighed, "my misfortune to have to deal with someone who can rewind time..."

Max shared the briefest of panicked glances with Chloe.

"...but I have experience on my side," Prescott continued, "experience and resources. In the past I was foolish, trying random acts of sabotage and relying on luck to try to get what I needed. Opportunity slipped through my fingers more than once...and many years passed before another came. And through many failures, I've come to understand the importance of setting a careful trap."

"It was you...you called the board meeting to get classes cancelled," Max said.

"Good...very good, Miss Caulfield," Prescott said, "and I must confess to having a certain amount of pride in this accomplishment. Luckily for me, you and Miss Price tend to keep to yourselves...so by springing a weekday with no classes, it essentially ensured that you'd be off by yourselves. And so at each place you frequent, I had my people ready to take you. Expensive...but effective."

_ Fuck _ , Max thought,  _ that explains the PI shit.  _ And  _ he knows about my powers...that's really not good...and he  _ does  _ know about the storms...and actually  _ wants _...wait...why the hell  _ does _ he want a storm? _

"Why do you want a storm?" Max said aloud.

"Well, Miss Caulfield," Prescott said, "there's the benefit of having much of Arcadia Bay leveled. Such destruction would allow me to buy the land at a considerable discount...and then redevelop it. A tremendous opportunity. But no, the real prize is in what comes  _ with  _ the storm. Something of far greater value than land and money."

_ Something that comes  _ with  _ the storm? _ Max thought,  _ that letter in the cabin said something about power with the storms...is that what Prescott's talking about? Does he think he can get a power from the storm? And wait...back up a second...the bathroom… _

"Wait, are you saying that  _ you _ told Nathan to meet Chloe in that bathroom?" Max said, "that doesn't make sense;  _ Chloe _ contacted Nathan about that."

She glanced over at Chloe, who nodded.

"Miss Caulfield, I knew what  _ could _ happen and instructed Nathan accordingly to make it happen correctly," Prescott said, steepling his fingers, "I told him to bring the gun and to keep the safety off. I told him what to say, to never reveal that he had any foreknowledge of the event, and, as always, to never say  _ anything  _ about me," he smiled, "and I know that you interrogated him quite thoroughly with your tricks, Miss Caulfield. I'll admit I was nervous about that...but given your confusion, it seems that my son did not disappoint...this time."

"That still doesn't explain…," Max started.

"No," Prescott interrupted, "it doesn't. You see, Miss Caulfield, you and I are cousins, as it were."

Max tilted her head, thinking,  _ huh? _

"Perhaps you think that you're the only one in Arcadia Bay...perhaps the only one in the world...to ever receive the gift of a power?" Prescott said, leaning forward.

Max felt a chill rattle down her spine.

"The power that you receive is...how to put it...related to your essence. The natives came up with a nice little pantheon of animals for it. Primitive...but useful," he said.

Max glanced at the painting of the buck and her eyes widened.

_ No _ , she thought.

"You see, Miss Caulfield, I had a premonition of what would happen in that bathroom, down to the last little detail," Prescott said, "I saw the confrontation, heard my son and Miss Price argue, and saw you, after your very first use of your power to rewind time, smashing in a fire alarm with a hammer to prevent Miss Price's death. And, of course, you had no idea what you'd triggered with that action."

He chuckled as a terrible empty feeling settled into Max.

"I can see the future, Miss Caulfield," Prescott said, "and you see now how you and I are related."

Fuzziness seemed to descend upon Max's mind again. She glanced briefly over at Chloe and saw horror reflected in Chloe's eyes. Max slumped back into the chair, her wrists limp against the restraints.

_ If he can see the future _ , Max thought,  _ then there was never anything we could do...we could never fool him, never get around him, never sneak… _

Max's head snapped up. An image popped into her head: the writing in her journal, scrawled with excitement by her previous self describing the raid into Prescott's house.

_ He didn't see that coming _ , Max thought,  _ he had the guards start searching the house  _ after  _ Chloe and Beta Max had already broken in...and...and he didn't stop them from interrogating Nathan, even though he was worried about it...this doesn't add up _ .

She stared at the camera above the screen and said, "I don't believe you."

"Oh?" Prescott said, raising an eyebrow.

"It doesn't add up," Max said, "you said you were worried about Nathan cracking and yet you didn't stop us from interrogating him. So you  _ didn't _ know we were going to do it. And...you didn't see how things  _ actually _ turned out in the bathroom. I didn't touch a fire alarm; I didn't do anything in there. Nathan got arrested and so did your friend, Jefferson. This is all crazy talk."

Prescott laughed.

"Ah, Miss Caulfield," he said, "you are very clever. It's always the clever ones that get the powers. Good for you; unfortunate for me. You are half right. I  _ did  _ have the power. Oh yes, I did. It took enormous effort to use...but I could see how things would turn out. Over time I learned how to use it carefully...to see things that I wanted to see and then work to change those things. And with the resources at my disposal, changing the future was never difficult. But over the past few months, my power has faded sharply. I still see glimpses of the future...but not with the control or clarity I had before. But I've had other tools at my disposal, Miss Caulfield, because I learned early in my life that you cannot rely on one skill...one property...one person...you  _ must  _ diversify."

"Why did you lose your power?" Max said.

_ If I can just keep him talking, maybe I can figure something out...like I did with Jefferson...if only I had some photos in front of me _ , Max thought.

"You know, it  _ is _ delightful to finally speak to someone who knows of these things," Prescott said, smiling, "as for my loss, I believe it is temporary. A period of dormancy, I think, after a long struggle. You see, none of us would be here right now had I succeeded in my previous effort. Unfortunately, my quarry had the same power as I. And oh, she was gifted. She received her power naturally. It makes a difference, I think. I received mine from...well, it was a different kind of gift."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "this contest, between her and I...it was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Her raw strength against my experience and resources...and  _ such  _ raw strength. It took some time for her to realize what was happening. You see, I was making minor adjustments to the future, trying to guide her into...a situation like this. Had she figured it out sooner, I am certain she would have overwhelmed me. And although Miss Amber was able to use her power more often and for longer than I could, she did not have the subtlety and the finesse that I did...or so I thought."

Max's thoughts seemed to grind to a complete halt. She looked over to Chloe, whose eyes were wide with disbelief. Chloe looked at Max and shook her head.

_ She doesn't believe him _ , Max thought.

"We don't believe you," Max said, "Chloe knew Rachel."

"You really aren't the trusting sort, are you?" Prescott said, "that's a good trait to have, Miss Caulfield. But I assure you it's true...I have no reason to lie. And of course Miss Price didn't know. Once Miss Amber realized what I was attempting to do, she...how can I put this...spread herself thin. She could easily see the broad strokes of the future and knew that I would attempt to harm the person closest to her in an effort to force her to use her powers to save that person. She was very clever...very clever. It was so like a game of chess with her. And in the end, when I finally had her cornered, she did what I never would have expected."

Prescott paused, his face looking tired.

"She plucked her king from the board, as it were," he said.

"What do you mean?" Max said quietly.

"She found a way to die," Prescott said, "and I didn't foresee it. She had me so focused by then on Mr. Bowers and Miss Price that I never considered the key piece of the puzzle. She hammered my premonitions with different scenarios, all of them focused on other people...I never saw how exactly she did it. And everything was in place," he sighed, "everything. Nathan and Jefferson would take her for their little art project...and then after, while she was still sedated, I would take her here. I had Mr. Bowers and Miss Price under surveillance and could take them at a moment's notice. And then Miss Amber died. Incredibly frustrating."

Max clenched her fists; she looked over at Chloe, who strained against her restraints, tears streaming down her face.

"Why would Rachel do that?" Max said, her voice low.

Prescott paused and Max had the distinct impression that he was thinking very carefully about what he would say...and she was reminded of Beta Max's description of Nathan doing the same when they'd interrogated him.

"I do not believe that Miss Amber was fully aware of what I was attempting to do," Prescott finally said, "I believe that she thought I would kill Miss Price or Mr. Bowers when, of course, I had every intention of ensuring that they would be rescued. After all, my goals would not be accomplished otherwise."

He smiled and Max saw the haughty, predatory smile of his son there.

"Now, Miss Caulfield, would you do me a favor and attempt to rewind?" Prescott said.

"Fuck you," Max said.

"That's not very polite, Miss Caulfield," Prescott said, frowning, "I think you've been absorbing too much of Miss Price's personality."

Max saw Chloe raise her middle fingers again.

"That's correct, Mr. Prescott," Max said.

"Very well," Prescott said, sighing; he reached off screen.

Max opened her mouth to speak but heard the muffled sound of a gunshot from the other room. She didn't dare look and immediately rewound instead.

**. . . . .**

Max stopped the rewind, her heart aching.

_ I let Chloe die again _ , Max thought.

"...my goals would not...ah," Prescott said, glancing to the side, "I see that you just rewound...excellent...excellent."

Max glared at him, anger flaring in her chest.

"From your expression, I'm guessing that I had to persuade you," Prescott said, smiling.

Max looked over at Chloe, meeting her eyes and trying to say,  _ I'm sorry _ with her own eyes. She turned back to Prescott.

"Well then, why don't we continue?" Prescott said, "but before we get to the main event, I have a few questions for you."

Max clenched her teeth.

"How far can you rewind?" Prescott said.

"That's none of your business," Max said.

_ But...interesting that he doesn't know that _ , Max thought.

"Now now, Miss Caulfield," Prescott said, "I would prefer not to have to persuade you again."

Max's eyes hardened but the gunshot echoed in her mind.

_ No _ , she thought,  _ never again _ .

"Fine," she said.

She glanced over at Chloe and saw Chloe shaking her head.

_ I'm sorry, Chloe _ , Max thought,  _ but being defiant is only going to keep getting you shot...and I'm not going to do that. Besides, I have my rewind...this isn't over yet _ . She gave Chloe a small smile and Chloe's eyes narrowed briefly before she gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"I will know if you're lying," Prescott said.

"Really?" Max said, her voice toneless.

Prescott laughed and said, "no, I suppose not. But, I know that there are limits to your powers...that if you rewind to perfect a lie, the attempts will cost you. I also know that you cannot rewind past the point where you were unconscious or you would have done so already. That was a gamble that I took and the reason for keeping you sedated longer."

"Fine," Max said again, "I can rewind only a few minutes...less than fifteen at most."

_ Technically true...sans bracelet _ , Max thought.

"And what happens if you attempt to rewind further?" Prescott said.

"Are you writing a research paper or something?" Max said, proud to channel her inner Chloe.

"Curiosity, Miss Caulfield," Prescott said.

"I'm glad that I can help," Max said dryly.

"Thank you...now please answer the question," Prescott said.

"If I try to rewind further my head hurts like hell and I get nosebleeds," Max said.

"Yes, yes," Prescott said, "the same symptoms as when I look into the future."

Max simply stared.

_ I wonder if I can do what I did with Nathan,  _ Max thought,  _ start asking  _ him  _ some questions and...but if he can tell when I rewind… _

Prescott opened his mouth to speak but Max decided to try something. She rewound, going back to the same point where she'd stopped before.

"...my goals would not...ah," Prescott said, glancing to the side, "I see that you just rewound...excellent...excellent."

Max narrowed her eyes, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"What are you smiling about?" Prescott asked, leaning towards his screen.

"Nothing...nothing at all," Max said, rewinding again before he could respond.

She stopped.

"...my goals would not...ah," Prescott said, glancing to the side, "I see that you just rewound...excellent...excellent."

_ Aha _ , Max thought,  _ his toy tells him  _ when  _ I've used the power...but not how many times. _

She allowed the conversation to continue as it had up until when she rewound originally. Then, before Prescott could ask his next question, Max interrupted.

"I have a question for you," Max said, "what's in the storm for you? What will you get?"

"Ah, Miss Caulfield, you're being clever," Prescott said.

Max tilted her head.

"You're undoubtedly rewinding and asking me all sorts of different questions...trying to find someway to get me to reveal some secret," Prescott said, "but I have no intention of telling you much of anything beyond what I have on a list in front of me; it's how I trained Nathan. He memorized what was on a list...nothing beyond that was to be discussed under any circumstances. And like I said, I'm sure there are only so many times you can rewind before it starts becoming...unpleasant. In a game of attrition between you and I, I  _ will _ win."

He smiled his predatory smile and Max glared.

_ Well, shit-head, you don't know about my ankle jewelry _ , Max thought,  _ I can play this game for a  _ long  _ time and you'll have no fucking clue _ .

"So, now that we have that out of the way," Prescott said, tilting his head towards the man in the room.

The man walked over and released the straps holding Max in place. She rubbed her wrists and remained seated as the man walked back to where he was before.

"Just a few more questions," Prescott said, sitting back and steepling his fingers, "do you have any other abilities?"

"Like what?" Max said, feeling a little nervous.

Prescott smiled and said, "I can see there's something there."

Max sighed and rewound. It took her a few tries before she could convincingly deflect the question...

"...do you have any other abilities?"

"I fucking wish I did," Max said, "like being able to teleport out of here...or conjure a cactus in your butt."

Movement to her right drew Max's eyes...despite everything, Chloe was laughing behind the tape over her mouth.

"Very funny, Miss Caulfield," Prescott said.

A sudden thought occurred to Max.

"Mr. Prescott, you do realize that you've kidnapped us, imprisoned us, and threatened us," Max said, "what's to keep us from going to the police and taking you down?"

Movement drew Max's eyes again: Chloe stared over at her with her eyes wide. Max guessed that Chloe was attempting to say something like,  _ why the fuck are you asking that? He'll fucking shoot both of us! _

"That's a very good question, Miss Caulfield," Prescott said, "first of all, it really won't matter in the slightest to me even if you did …"

_ What the hell does  _ that  _ mean _ ? Max thought.

"...and, I have some measure of insurance that you will stay quiet," he said, flipping a switch.

The image of Prescott disappeared, replaced with the green, grainy texture of night vision. The footage showed a path in a well manicured lawn and, after a few moments, a pair of figures snuck by; Max's heart sank. They were, unmistakably, her and Chloe. The view then shifted to a hallway, again showing her and Chloe carefully creeping along. The screen changed back to Prescott.

"It seems that someone told you that the path through the backyard is unmonitored...and that the inside of the house is as well," Prescott said, "my guess would be the Chase girl...I'd hoped that Nathan would find less...independently-minded companions. But you couldn't possibly think that I would leave such a blind spot. Video of that particular path, plus several locations within the house, are recorded onto a flashdrive in the room you're in now. This one here contains the evidence of your trespassing," he held up a USB stick, "easily retrieved and easily destroyed if necessary. So, Miss Caulfield, as far as this kidnapping is concerned, my story is that you were caught trying to break into my house again. The police do not look too closely when it comes to the Prescott family."

Max's shoulders fell. Chloe and Beta Max had been so sure that they'd gotten away with it...and yet this whole time, Prescott had known...and had evidence to hold it over them.

"Another question: do you know of anyone else with powers?" Prescott said.

It took another pair of rewinds for Max to convincingly lie.

"And do you have in your possession any Native American artifacts from this region?" Prescott asked.

It took a few more rewinds for Max to convincingly lie about that one as well.

"Last question for you, Miss Caulfield. And it is about these," Prescott said, nodding to the man in the room.

Max felt a sense of defeat clawing at her. On the one hand, Prescott's promise to let them go held some water...since he could effectively blackmail them. But on the other hand, Max didn't trust him at all. And if he was right, Arcadia Bay would be flattened...or at least seriously damaged, by the storm she'd seen in her vision.

Max glanced over as the man in the room picked something up. She started to turn away but snapped her head back around. The man had lifted Max's messenger bag from a corner and was reaching into it.

Max held her breath.

He pulled out a tall stack of photos and tossed them onto the desk.

Max looked over at Chloe. Chloe stared back, her eyes wide.

_ Of course...he has no idea what those photos are for _ , Max thought, a feeling of glee positively gushing inside,  _ he has no idea that I can use them. Hell, who would guess that you could use a  _ photo  _ to travel through time? _

Max tried to contain her excitement, forcing a frown and glancing between Prescott and the desk.

"You have this collection of photographs in your bag, all with dates and times marked on them," Prescott said, "and according to Nathan and Mark, this is  _ not  _ typical of your photography. What is the meaning of these images?"

_ Okay _ , Max thought,  _ I need a way to buy some time to look through these photos...some excuse to search and figure out what I'm going to do _ .

She stood up and stepped over to the desk before looking back over at the camera.

She reached the desk and looked back over at the camera.

"These are for a project," Max said, "I started it after…"

"I don't believe you," Prescott interrupted.

Max immediately rewound back to what she was referring to as her reset point...and went through the laborious process of repeating everything up to when the man grabbed the photos.

Immediately, Max said, "wait! Be careful with those!"

The man paused with the stack in hand and glanced at Prescott.

"Go ahead and place them on the desk," Prescott said before turning to Max, "now why should he be careful with those, Miss Caulfield?"

"They're for a project," Max said, "I'm capturing singular moments...random moments...and marking them in time. I decided to do something different from what...Jefferson had been teaching us. I suppose you can understand my theme."

_ Please go for it _ , Max thought,  _ I do  _ not  _ want to go through all of that shit again _ .

"Yes, yes, I can understand that," Prescott said, waving his hand dismissively, "and I suppose I  _ should  _ apologize for the hiring of such a pompous psychopath as Blackwell's photography teacher; I really did believe it was necessary."

_ Wait, what? _ Max thought, her blood running cold.

"What do you mean?" Max said.

"I knew of Mark's hobby," Prescott said, "it took some careful arranging on my part to meet with him and pledge my support for his work. It certainly helped that Nathan has a morbid artistic interest; I knew that they would develop a close bond and I encouraged it. You see, I believe that powers are granted only through some amount of trauma to the subject. And my research seemed to indicate that young women with strong artistic inclinations were most likely to gain powers. And so by supporting Jefferson's use of Blackwell students as models for his project, I believed that the chances of triggering powers would rise substantially. And if not, Jefferson had promised that his process would leave no lasting harm and that his subjects would remember nothing. And my premonitions confirmed that."

"Tell that to Kate Marsh," Max said darkly, standing with her fists clenched and stepping towards the desk.

"Ah yes, unfortunate, that," Prescott said with a cold smile, "it seems that Mark began slipping on his chemical compositions. Overconfidence...overconfidence that Miss Amber had already taken advantage of. But yes, Mark was my factory for powers, if you will. Unfortunately, his output was zero. Without him though, it would have been a little more difficult to get  _ you  _ here."

Max stopped and turned, taking in the sneer on Prescott's face.

_ He's enjoying this _ , Max thought,  _ toying with us and feeding us bits and pieces of whatever he has written on his scrap of paper. _

Max waited.

"You see," Prescott finally continued, "I reviewed each and every Blackwell scholarship application. Well...the art ones, that is. When I came across yours, I knew you were the young woman I'd seen in an early version of my premonition...someone I knew would receive a power. I ensured, through Jefferson, that you would be granted a photography scholarship."

Max's heart sunk; she could almost feel Chloe staring at her, urging her to ignore it, to not believe it.

_ He's trying to keep you unfocused...off-balance _ , a part of Max thought,  _ he could be lying _ .

But another part of Max thought,  _ maybe I've been right all along...maybe my work  _ isn't  _ that special. Chloe doesn't know much about photography...how could she say with any authority that my photos are any good? And Warren? Same. And Jefferson was just trying to get me under his umbrella. And Victoria? I...I guess maybe she was just wrong. _

She reached the desk and gazed over the pile of photos, her eyes settling on a photo of her couch.

_ Not my best work _ , Max thought, recalling how she felt when she first saw her emergency photos,  _ but hell...maybe my work  _ is  _ like this: just...mediocre. And...me too...mediocre...despite everything I've tried...despite all of the clues, despite having a fucking  _ superpower _ , here we are, stuck in Prescott's house...and what will I fuck up if I go back? What if everything has just been manipulated from the beginning? _

She glanced up at Chloe. Chloe's blue eyes stared back at her. Determination stared back at her. Trust. Max clenched her fists.

_ Dammit, if Chloe can still be fighting when she's tied up with a gun pointed at her head, why am I standing here moping? That's not acceptable,  _ Max thought,  _ if Chloe's still fighting, I need to fight for her too. I can't let this asshole win _ .

She looked back down at the photos.

"Well?" Prescott said, "something the matter, Miss Caulfield?"

Max heard the laugh in his voice and clenched her fists tighter.

_ I need some excuse to go through these and think _ , Max thought,  _ some excuse to… _

She saw a photo poking out from the group, blurry and nearly unrecognizable.

Max's photographer brain asserted itself momentarily, a disgusted  _ ugh _ echoing through her mind. And then it gave her an idea.

"What are you playing at, Prescott?" Max said, stepping forward and scattering the pile out over the desk.

"I...what?" Prescott said, his eyes widening.

"I  _ said _ : what are you playing at? Some kind of mind games? What's the fucking point?" Max said, her eyes darting from photo to photo.

_ Where's the one from earlier today? _ Max thought,  _ I could go back and warn us _ .

"What...what are you talking about?" Prescott said.

"Only some of these are  _ my _ photos," Max said, somewhat surprised at how easily the lie came...until she recalled that, technically, she  _ hadn't _ taken all that many of them.

" _ What? _ " Prescott said.

"This one," Max said, pointing to a particularly poor shot of a window, "and this one and this one." She pointed at more, all of them ones that her or Beta Max had clearly taken without inspiration.

Prescott seemed at a loss for words, his fingers tapping rapidly against the arm of his chair and his brow furrowed. That was fine by Max, who continued looking until she saw the blurry photo again.

She leaned in, noticing that it appeared to be a photo of the top of a desk...and it matched the color of the desk beneath it.

Her eyes widened.

_ Of  _ course, Max thought,  _ Beta Max was so pissed about this that she wrote it in the journal: she accidentally took a blurry-ass photo of Sean Prescott's desk. This might be the key...because if I just go back and warn us, that only delays Prescott and could make him less predictable. But if I can go back to  _ this  _ room and somehow get into his stuff? Maybe sabotage the gun? The doors? And speaking of keys… _

Max glanced quickly around the room. Beta Max had written that everything in the room had been buttoned up tight. But if there was an open drawer or...

_ There! _ she thought. A small blue book had been taken off of a shelf and was lying open. She stepped towards it.

"Where are you going, Miss Caulfield?" Prescott said suddenly.

"I'm curious about your book collection," Max said, continuing.

"Return to where you were, Miss Caulfield," Prescott said, "now!"

"Do you have any books on photography?" Max said.

She reached the small blue book and grabbed it.

A gunshot rang out. Max clenched her teeth and tears filled her eyes but she didn't look away, lifting the book and looking inside: there were no pages, only an empty cutout.

She immediately rewound to her reset point and repeated everything up to her lie about the photos. She quickly found the blurry desk photo and let out a breath.

_ Remember what you and Warren figured out _ , Max thought,  _ only  _ small  _ things; don't make huge changes...keep it simple, get information _ .

She focused on the photo and flew into the past.


	26. The Photo Advantage

The flash of the camera illuminated the room and Max barely caught the camera as it slipped out of her hand. She felt the trailing edge of the adrenaline rush that must have started when Beta Max  _ started _ to drop the camera.

Max let her heart rate slow before she pulled the blurry desk photo from the camera, shook it, and slid it into the emergency photo pocket. She looked at the dark room around her, the same one that she'd just left behind in the future.

_ If I remember correctly, Beta Max was in here for a while before Chloe came back _ , Max thought,  _ which means I have some time _ .

She looked down, seeing a page of the now-familiar artifact symbols on the desk. She ignored it and walked over to the bookshelf, finding the small blue book and opening it to reveal a pair of keys.

_ Score _ , she thought.

She immediately went to the desk and unlocked the drawers, sliding them open to find stacks of papers and hanging files.

_ Shit _ , Max thought,  _ there's a  _ lot  _ here and I don't really have all of the time in the world. I don't have the bracelet here...and Beta Max is going to have to do a hell of a lot of rewinding later...I can't drain her too much _ .

Max dropped into the chair behind the desk, her eyes wandering the room and taking in the myriad drawers and cabinets below the bookshelves.

_ Okay, _ she thought,  _ I have to prioritize...I can't read through everything...I just need the important stuff _ .

She let out a long breath and stood up, moving to the nearest cabinet. She quickly made her way around the room, unlocking and opening every drawer and cabinet. Once finished, she went around again, skimming through the titles on folder tabs and peering into file boxes and binders.

She discovered that most of Prescott's files covered real estate, investments, personnel records, and bank accounts. There was even an entire drawer devoted to art purchases. Among that sea of documents, Max located four pertinent sets of files: first, one of the drawers in the desk contained what Prescott seemed to consider urgent papers: mostly records of communications with Mark Jefferson and notes on recent events in Arcadia Bay. Second, a single cabinet contained what appeared to be Prescott's collection of anything related to the supernatural: notebooks, photos, maps, and more. Third, she found a cabinet filled with drawings, designs, and plans for various Prescott real estate projects. She nearly wrote that off as useless before remembering that her and Chloe were trapped in what amounted to a Prescott real estate project. Finally, she discovered a cabinet with electronic equipment, including a desktop and monitor. Max was reminded of her discovery of David's surveillance system...Prescott's system, of course, appeared to be far more sophisticated...and far more expensive.

Max stood, her arms crossed, and nodded to herself. She noted the locations of each of the four important spots. She debated to herself which one to start with when she heard footsteps approaching from outside.

_ Here comes Chloe _ , Max thought,  _ best to keep this little photo trip to myself. _

She glanced at the clock, noting the time, and then rewound to just after her arrival in the past, shaking away the resulting pressure in her head. She immediately grabbed the hidden key and started with the real estate drawings. It took her a minute of digging before she found the extremely detailed plans for Prescott's study.

_ Whoa _ , she thought,  _ this room is a fortress _ .

She rotated the plans and peered carefully, trying to fully comprehend what she was seeing among the various pipes, structural diagrams, and notes.

_ I'm willing to bet that there are emergency controls somewhere _ , Max thought, squinting at the plans under the light of her phone,  _ after all, if Prescott got trapped in here, he'd want a way to break out...and quickly _ .

She finally identified what appeared to be a hidden switch on the wall that operated the heavy sliding doors at the front of the room. She also noticed a series of pipes hidden under the floor.

_ Shit, maybe he wasn't kidding about gassing us _ , Max thought, her eyes widening.

She followed the path of the pipes and found a mechanism that seemed connected to the desk. She looked carefully, her nose up to the paper, and saw that an emergency valve control lay concealed in the desk next to several other hidden switches.

Max nodded and continued looking over the sheet, attempting to find some means of switching off the gun mechanism in the adjoining room. However, she couldn't find anything...it appeared that the second room was entirely isolated.

_ He wants to be sure he can always get out of  _ this  _ room...but that it will always require someone like  _ me  _ to get into  _ that  _ room _ , Max thought.

She put the plans down and rubbed her eyes before glancing around the room again.

_ Okay _ , she thought,  _ I'll leave the surveillance stuff until last...I think I can just pull that flashdrive out and hide it somewhere before I head back to the future. I'll be violating my 'small things only' rule...but there's no way I'm going to let Sean Prescott blackmail us...I just hope it doesn't fuck things up _ .

As she scooted over towards the drawer with Prescott's urgent papers, she heard footsteps approaching.

_ Shit, already?  _ She thought, glancing at the clock,  _ ugh… _

She rewound, watching as the mess of papers she'd made on the floor disappeared. She stopped as early as she could and immediately reached out to unlock the drawer in front of her. She pulled out the notes and files and began skimming through them.

Her eyes flicked across the pages and as she read through the notes, letters, and printed-out emails, the complicated web of Sean Prescott's dealings became clearer.

She found messages back and forth with Jefferson...supplies for the Dark Room, instructions on drugs, and...Max nearly dropped the page...a strong hint from Prescott that Jefferson should consider "Miss Caulfield" for his project. Icy horror settled into her stomach as she read the back-and-forth.

And then, a final message from Jefferson on the subject...Max read it twice, her emotions mixed.

> **Mr. Prescott,**
> 
> **I am extremely appreciative of the support you have provided for my work. However, I must insist again that, as an artist, I must be given the space to conduct my work at my own pace. You are absolutely correct that Max Caulfield is an excellent subject for our project; perhaps the best subject so far. I am fully aware of this and your reminders are not necessary. I already have a plan in place for Max, which I shall share with you by phone.**
> 
> **You also need not remind me again that you recommended admitting Max on a scholarship. Now as then, I must remind you that she already had my recommendation based on her work. It was clear even then that she had potential for my project, as you pointed out at the time. But I believe that she has excellent vision of her own. Perhaps she will even be able to recognize the merits of my work, as you and Nathan have.**
> 
> **My recommendation at this point is that we continue communication on this subject by phone only.**
> 
> **Sincerely,  
>  ** **Mark**

_ So...Prescott  _ was  _ lying about getting me into Blackwell...Jefferson did actually recommend me based on my work _ , Max thought,  _ but...he was already thinking that he'd be taking me to the Dark Room… _

Max shook her head and tossed the letter aside, moving on.

She found printouts of initial emails to the private investigators, showing that Prescott was already in the process of hiring them...and he'd included sharply-worded instructions on exactly when and how to perform the surveillance. One exchange in particular stood out:

> **From: K. Piduski  
> ** **To: S. Prescott  
>  ** **Mr. Prescott, I must recommend that we follow our own processes and procedures. The plans that you have laid out make it exceptionally likely that the subjects will become aware of our surveillance. If so, they may spend more time in isolated locations where it would be difficult for us to effectively track their activities.**
> 
> **From: S. Prescott  
>  ** **To: K. Piduski  
>  ** **Miss. Piduski, I appreciate your professionalism and your bluntness. However, I have made it clear that I am hiring you to carry out my instructions exactly as indicated. Your actions and your information will be valuable to me under any circumstance. Please do not question my instructions again or I will find another organization to perform these tasks.**

_ Holy shit,  _ Max thought,  _ he must have  _ meant  _ for us to notice the PIs...but why? I...I guess this Miss Piduski...she must be Scully...probably guessed it: he wanted to force us into being isolated more often so he would have more opportunities to grab us. I wonder if he had a premonition or something of how he'd catch us... _

The next set of notes sent a shiver down her spine; she figured that they were in Sean Prescott's own handwriting:

> **_Mapping thus far has shown high concentrations at expected locations: Blackwell, 44 Cedar Avenue, Two Whales Diner. Also includes Lighthouse, American Rust Junkyard, and areas along the beach. Confirmation required. Will track subject to match essence to the Stone._ **

Memories sprung to Max's mind: the clacking sound in the hall outside of her dorm room...the figure across the street from Chloe's house in the dead of night.

_ It  _ was  _ him _ , Max thought,  _ Sean Prescott must have been the creepster. And the Stone that he mentions must be an artifact...one of his tools...maybe that's what made the sound outside of my room. _

She moved on to the next sheet of paper, a map of Arcadia Bay with red marks in all of the spots that Prescott has mentioned in his notes: all of the places Max had used her powers.

_ Based on this, it looks like some echo of my powers remains...even when it was from a different timeline...he didn't get the Dark Room though...guess he never bothered to check there...maybe because it's still a crime scene _ , she thought.

She flipped quickly through the remaining pages, none of which seemed to offer new information. She crawled over to the cabinet containing Prescott's files on everything supernatural. She managed to extract a stack of documents about Arcadia Bay artifacts before hearing Chloe's steps approaching.

She sighed and rewound, heading for the cabinet again as soon as she stopped.

After confirming that Prescott's so-called Water Ring could detect the use of powers, she found a reference to the Stone. The notes on it were extensive...Max squinted in concentration as she read through the tiny lines of text. From what she could tell, the Stone was a different kind of detector, able to find where powers had been used and to identify who had used them. If she was reading it correctly, it sounded like the "Stone" was actually a pair of objects: a disc and a small round pebble. The pebble would levitate and vibrate in areas where powers had been used and would bounce on the disc when approaching the one whose powers it had recently detected.

_ Explains the clacking sound _ , Max thought.

She saw it in her mind's eye: Sean Prescott walking through her darkened dorm hall carrying a pair of rocks.

_ It's also creepy as hell that he was wandering around the  _ girls'  _ dorm _ , Max thought,  _ ugh...least of our problems. Okay...so he knew where I used my powers and he knew it was  _ me _ who did it...but why was that so important? Why...oh _ .

Her mind pictured the map she'd just seen.

_ He needed to know where we'd be _ , Max thought,  _ that's how they got us. Prescott knew all of the places we visited and, like he said, he had goons at the ones that no one else goes to...like the lighthouse and the junkyard...maybe even our pirate fort. And...I guess the PIs helped with that too... _ that's  _ why he wanted up to the minute information on our locations _ .

Max shook her head and continued looking through the stack.

She found notes on the compass-like artifact that Prescott had provided to the PIs: similar to the Stone...but only able to determine  _ where _ a power had been used. After tossing those notes aside, she came across a few pages on the bracelets. It was clear that Prescott was desperately trying to get his hands on them...he seemed to think that they would help him regain his power.

She glanced through a few more, finding that the Sundial that Miranda had mentioned could somehow predict when one of the crazy storms was coming. It looked as if Prescott had worked very hard to get his hands on that and had only recently acquired it.

She reached the final page in the stack and nearly dropped it...a familiar image of a totem pole stared at her from the page: the Tobanga.

_ What? _ Max thought.

A single line sat beneath the image:

> **The Tobanga: it gathers the Power of the Storms**

_ What does  _ that  _ mean?  _ Max thought.

She stared at the image of the Tobanga for a few moments before shaking her head and moving on.

The next sheet, a large piece of paper that she had to unfold, was another map of Arcadia Bay, this one marked with several small rectangles. Max tilted her head. It took her a moment to notice that two of the rectangles were at the very house she stood in...this map marked the locations of Prescott's bunkers.

She found the bunker with Jefferson's Dark Room...and another beneath what she guessed was the Prescotts' house in town...and another, larger than the rest, sat almost directly beneath the Blackwell dorms.

She dug further and found plans for each bunker; she skipped to the Blackwell one. Max wasn't surprised to find that a secret entrance had been built at the bottom of the dorm stairs.

_ Well, now we know how he creeped himself into the dorms _ , Max thought.

She continued to skim through the papers in the drawer, stopping when she came to one titled "The Ritual"

_ Wait, Prescott referred to what he was making Chloe and I do as a "ritual"...could this be related? _

She pulled the sheet out and read Prescott's notes.

> **_So far I have been unable to find any evidence for the means by which the Arcadia Bay natives summoned the Storms. They crafted the Tobanga to harness and gather the great power from the Storms: since the relationship between the Storms and the Tobanga is clear, the natives must_** **_have known how to create them. The fact that the particulars have eluded me for so long is frustrating. And yet, I firmly believe that I have finally discovered the secret. I shall call it the Ritual, for I believe that the natives would have formalized the process that they likely discovered by trial and error. The answer came to me as I pieced together futures I have seen, my own experiences, and the repeating statement in the writings I've found that two_** **_are needed for the Storms. Two of what? It did not say. But now I see that it must be two people. The first I shall call the Key. She, for it is almost always a she, is one with power. Her companion I shall call the Lock. The Lock is someone of utmost importance to the Key: a sibling, a lover, a parent, etc. To bring a Storm, the Lock must be placed in mortal danger and the Key must use her powers to rescue her Lock. I admit that I am disturbed that I have found no details or tales to confirm my beliefs. And yet, I have put much thought towards this over many years and this_** **_is what fits. And so to bring a Storm, I must find a Key, I must find her Lock, and I must conduct this Ritual. I am sure of it._**

Max read through it again before putting it down and staring at the wall.

_ Someone who's  _ sure  _ of something usually doesn't write or say "I am sure of it,"  _ Max thought,  _ and that means...Sean Prescott got Rachel killed and has a gun pointed at Chloe's head all because of a hunch...a fucking  _ hunch  _ that this 'ritual' of his is legit. _

Max clenched her fists.

_ So he thinks I'm his fucking Key and that Chloe is the Lock _ , Max thought,  _ how fucking  _ stupid _ is that? And I know what jokes Chloe would make about _ that _ , _ Max managed a small smile that quickly vanished,  _ but whether or not Prescott's right, he means to go through with it. And...maybe he  _ is  _ right...the storm seemed to be triggered after I saved Chloe. But...I didn't know it was her at the time...and we hadn't had any contact for years. And...Warren from my old timeline thought that the storm happened because I fucked around with a sensitive moment in time...and, if I remember correctly, Brooke and Warren came to the same conclusion with Beta Max. So...what the hell causes these fucking storms? Is Prescott right? Were Warren and Brooke right? Shit...there's not enough information and I don't have the mental capacity right now or the background to tackle this. File it away...file it away. _

She tossed Prescott's notes aside and continued paging through the pile of papers, finding and skipping over more of Prescott's brainstorming notes about his "ritual."

Then Max's fingers found a page that felt very different. She pulled it out of the stack: it was of the same strange material as the papers that her and Chloe had found at the ruined cabin. And just like those, the text looked like it had been burned into the paper. Max held it close and read:

> **My Dearest Friend,**
> 
> **I know it has been some months since you last saw me and I wished to assuage your fears and tell you that I am well. You see, after the terrible storm that swept in from the bay, I approached the hallowed grounds at the urging of the elders of the tribe who, like me, had not fled so far. I did not know why they told me to go or why they gave me strange instruction. I supposed then that they trusted me to quickly find those that may have been left behind and to call for rescue. But I see now that they trusted me with something far greater than that and I am both humbled and deeply honored.**
> 
> **For you see, when I approached the area, I saw devastation. Homes had vanished, trees were felled, and the ground itself was torn apart. But standing tall and unmarred was that imposing and ancient carved statue which they call Tobanga. The elders had told me to approach it and lay hands upon its base. And so I went to it, and there I felt a curious warmth. I knelt down and placed my hands upon the totem nearest the ground, whereupon I was whisked away. To where, I still do not fully understand.**
> 
> **But it seems now that I have endless ages ahead of me to learn. I shall be here with you and among you, unseen, for a time. I have found too that I can bend nature itself to my will. Do not fear, for I have taken great care and seek only to work for the betterment of all. And do not mistake my meaning! I am no God! And yet I feel that I have some thin sliver of godly power; perhaps as those towering figures in the legends of old. And yet I find that I yearn only for the peace and prosperity of my neighbors as I once did. Perhaps this is why my dear friends urged me forward on the day of the great storm.**
> 
> **Each day, I learn more and become a better servant to the people of the town. Someday, I believe I shall be able to visit in person. As time passes though, I foresee that I shall have to go away. I will travel far and wide to see all that can be seen and to meet those who came before.**
> 
> **Sincerely yours,  
>  ** **Henry**

"Shit," Max said aloud.

She stared at the paper.

_ This must be it...the source of all of Prescott's ideas... _ this _ is why he wants the storm so badly _ , Max thought,  _ he thinks that if he can get a storm to come, he'll be able to prance over to the Tobanga and nab himself…"endless ages" and some…"thin sliver of godly power?" Fuck...if this is true, there's no way that asshole would ever be a "servant to the people"...what would he do with that kind of power? Considering all of the terrible things he's done already, I bet it would suck hardcore. _

Max glanced at the cabinet: no more files or papers.

_ Great, mystery solved...maybe _ , Max thought, grimacing,  _ I'd better get back before I start tripping out completely over this crazy stuff...oh wait, the flashdrive _ .

Max rewound before Chloe could return, the pain in her head lasting a little longer this time.

_ Ugh, I can't stick around here _ , Max thought, opening the cabinet with the surveillance equipment,  _ if I missed something important, I guess I can come back here again...as long as the future still has my photos on the desk _ .

Max winced as she yanked a flashdrive out of the computer.

_ Doing this could have  _ real  _ consequences _ , Max thought, looking around for somewhere to hide the stick,  _ but keeping Prescott off of our asses in the legal department is definitely a win _ .

Max grabbed a random book off of a high shelf, glancing at the title quickly:  _ The Tempest  _ by Shakespeare.

_ Of course _ , Max thought, rolling her eyes,  _ I'd rather  _ avoid _ a tempest, please _ .

She tossed the flashdrive into the empty spot in the bookshelf and replaced the book.

_ Mission accomplished _ , Max thought,  _ now I just need to figure out how the hell to prevent Prescott from getting his prize...or at least how to keep us alive _ .

Max closed the drawers and cabinets and carefully put the key away. She sat at the desk and stared around her.

_ I can't quite put my finger on it _ , she thought, spinning back and forth slowly in the chair,  _ but I think I'm missing something important. _

She continued digging at the thought, unable to pinpoint what she felt must be the next piece of the puzzle...and it seemed just out of reach.

Chloe's footsteps approached and before Chloe could open the door, whiteness filled Max's vision and she felt herself flung back into the future.

**. . . . .**

"Tell me the  _ truth _ , Miss Caulfield!" Prescott's voice boomed.

Max glanced around, confused. She stood by the desk, not far from where she'd been before. But her body was tense, her fists clenched, and...she reached up...tears were streaming down her cheeks.

_ What…? _ Max thought.

"I  _ said _ , tell me!" Prescott yelled.

Max turned to look at the screen. Sean Prescott's face was contorted in rage. He reached off to the side and a scream, muffled but still incredibly loud, pierced the air. Max snapped her head around and her eyes widened in horror.

Chloe was still strapped into the chair in the other room...but this time a contraption made of metal rods enveloped her head, rigidly holding her in place...with a needle protruding into her neck.

_ Oh no...what did I do? _ Max thought, guilt and fear stabbing through her heart.

She immediately held out her hand and focused; time came to a stop around her.

_ I still have the bracelet _ , Max thought, feeling the cold stones around her ankle,  _ that's good _ .

She breathed out slowly and looked around the room.

Whatever Prescott was doing to Chloe, it was clearly causing her great pain. Max wiped new tears from her eyes as she looked at Chloe's expression.

_ He's torturing her _ , Max thought,  _ but  _ why _? To get me to tell him...something _ .

Everything else in the room appeared to be the same. There weren't any photos on the desk; but the tall man standing by the wall had her messenger bag in his hands.

_ I don't know enough about what's going on here _ , Max thought,  _ I wonder if...I've never tried it before… _

Max rewound. She felt pressure as she reached the moment when she'd arrived from the past and expected that she could go no further. But she pushed hard at that moment and the resistance gave way. Her rewind continued and she kept going until she saw herself move backwards into the chair she'd been restrained in. She stopped the rewind, holding time still...she didn't want to endure having her wrists and legs strapped down again.

_ But if I have to, it looks like I can keep rewinding _ , Max thought.

She released the rewind and found herself sitting in the chair.

"...you...ah," Prescott said, his voice far darker than it had been the first time around, "it seems like you've used your power again. I'm guessing you didn't like my methods of persuasion. Let me be clear, Miss Caulfield, you can rewind as much as you'd like...as much as you can  _ take _ ...but I  _ will  _ get the answers I desire."

Max looked over at Chloe but Chloe couldn't turn her head to look back. Max stood so that Chloe could see her.

"What is that?" Max said, pointing at the device with the needle next to Chloe's neck.

"A special treat for Miss Price," Prescott said, showing his predatory smile, "something to ensure that you keep talking. The syringe contains a delightful combination of toxins, mostly from different types of jellyfish...the seller told me that it took many years to develop. When a small amount is injected, it causes brief but intense pain. Then, as more is injected, the pain lasts longer. It is eventually fatal...but I don't think we'll need to get that far. That's what the gun is for, after all."

Max glared at Prescott, her teeth clenched.

"A demonstration is in order, I think," Prescott said, reaching off screen.

Max forced herself to watch as the needle pierced Chloe's skin. Chloe winced and then cried out in pain.

Max balled her fists and ground her teeth.

_ What the hell happened this time to make him so much angrier?  _ Max thought.

She received her answer almost immediately:

"Miss Caulfield," Prescott said, his voice becoming dangerously low, "I know that you, and probably Miss Price as well, broke into my house last week. I need you to tell me what you found and how you managed to disable my security system."

_ Shit _ , Max thought,  _ of  _ course  _ he'd know that we were here...that Stone thing would have told him...now how the hell do I get past this without giving away anything important? _

"I'm waiting, Miss Caulfield," Prescott said.

"Well you're going to have to wait longer because I have no idea what you're talking about," Max said.

The denial path was a bad idea; Max found herself rewinding back to where she'd started, her heart aching as Chloe's screams echoed in her mind.

After three more tries, trying her hardest to deflect Prescott's questions, Max felt a numb sickness growing inside. Tears of frustration filled her eyes as she rewound away from yet another sight of Prescott torturing Chloe. Max stopped her rewind by freezing time, her lip curling in disgust as she stared at Prescott's image on the screen.

_ Fuck this asshole _ , Max thought, deciding to take a more belligerent route.

She unfroze time and waited for Prescott to ask his question again.

"Fuck you," she said, intending every ounce of venom in her voice, "we tricked Victoria into telling us exactly how to get in here without being seen on any cameras. We didn't do  _ anything  _ to your fucking security system."

"I don't believe you," Prescott said.

Max threw her hands up in the air and said, "fine, what do you want me to say...that we found all of your super secret hidden cameras and unplugged them? Oh, or maybe we 'hacked into the mainframe?'"

"What did you do with the flashdrive, Miss Caulfield?" Prescott said.

" _ What _ fucking flashdrive?" Max said, "fine...you're right...we  _ did  _ get into your house. We followed exactly what Victoria said and we broke into Nathan's apartment because we were trying to figure out why he fucking shot Chloe and what the hell was wrong with him."

"Were you ever in  _ this  _ room?" Prescott said.

"Yes, because your goons are actually pretty decent at their jobs and this was the only place to hide," Max said.

"And how did you get into the cabinets?" he said.

"Those?" Max said, pointing at the nearest one, "we didn't. We tried because we figured this was your evil villain's lair. But everything was locked. I can't rewind my way into a drawer."

Prescott's brow furrowed.

"This flashdrive of yours was in a cabinet in here?" Max said.

Prescott remained motionless.

"Did you ever consider that maybe someone forgot to put the fucking thing in?" Max said, "instead of assuming that  _ we _ somehow magically broke into a bunch of locked drawers in a room we'd never been into before?"

Prescott drummed his fingers on the desk in front of him.

_ Please go for it _ , Max thought.

"We shall return to this line of questioning later," Prescott said.

To hide her relief, Max threw her arms up again and shook her head. Her relief, however, was short-lived. Prescott's next questions were nearly identical to what he'd asked before Max had gone back to the study in the past, except that he was far angrier now...and far less patient.

With each question, before Max could even open her mouth to answer, Prescott pressed the control to inject more toxin into Chloe. Max rewound over and over, desperately trying to verbally outrun Prescott, who nonetheless used every opportunity to lean forward and press the button.

Max stared at Chloe each time, trying to express how sorry she was that she couldn't make it stop. Chloe stared back at her with pain and defiance in her eyes.

Her eyes seemed to say, "I'll make it...don't let him get to you... _ please _ ."

But Max couldn't help it. Each painful scream dug a little deeper. Max clenched her fists; she bit down on her lip; she glared with rage at Sean Prescott's sneering face.

Never before in her life had Max felt such rage, growing and growing with each passing moment. It overrode despair; it overrode fear. Her nails dug into her palms and she tasted blood from her lip. Nonetheless, she moved from question to question, holding her wrath in check. Finally, the last question came.

"Let us move on," Prescott said, sneering and nodding towards the tall man, who hefted Max's messenger bag and moved it to the table.

Max held her breath as the man took her emergency photos out.

"Wait! Be careful with those!" she said.

The man paused with the stack in hand and glanced at Prescott.

"Put them on the desk," Prescott said before turning to Max, "why should we be careful with them, Miss Caulfield?"

"They're for a project," Max said, "I'm capturing moments...random moments...and marking their place in time. I decided to do something different from what...Jefferson taught us. I suppose you can understand my theme."

_ Please let this work again _ , Max thought, watching as Prescott scowled.

"I suppose so," Prescott said, "nonetheless, your answer was far too annoying for my tastes."

He pressed the control again; Chloe screamed.

Max strode up to the desk, tears clouding her vision.

"What are you…," Prescott began.

"What the fuck are you playing at?" Max said, cutting him off and scattering the photos over the desk.

"I...what?" Prescott said, his eyes narrowing.

"I  _ said _ : what the fuck are you playing at? Some kind of mind games? What's the fucking point?" Max said, looking at the photos.

_ I need somewhere to think, _ Max thought,  _ somewhere away from this... _ anywhere  _ away from this _ .

"What are you talking about?" Prescott said.

"Not all of these are  _ my _ photos, asshole," Max said.

" _ What? _ " Prescott said.

"This one," Max said, pointing, "and this one and this one."

Prescott tapped his fingers against the arm of his chair, his brow furrowed. Max used the opportunity to search carefully. Her eyes darted across the assembled photos; she needed and time and place where she was alone…

Then she spotted it: a photo from inside of her room. She recognized the time and date; she'd been alone.

_ Perfect _ , she thought, reaching out.

Her arm came to a stop as a lengthy, heart-shattering scream rang out, followed by the crack of a gunshot.

Max froze.

"I think you're lying about something, Miss Caulfield," Prescott said, "now why don't you do your little trick and let's try honesty next time."

Max looked up: Chloe lay limp in the adjoining room, the needle still in her neck and a small dark spot on her forehead.

Everything around Max seemed to blur...sounds faded away and an image came into her mind...a memory: she sat with her back up against the tree in the old pirate fort; Chloe lounged with her legs in Max's lap, a couple of twigs and leaves poking out of her blonde hair. She wore a lazy smile on her face, pointing at something above. Her index finger was red from a splinter that Max had carefully removed only a few minutes before, a removal accomplished over Chloe's panicked crying. Max couldn't remember exactly how Chloe got the splinter...or what they'd been talking about...or what Chloe had been pointing at...but for some reason she could keenly remember the smells: pine needles, the wood of the pirate fort, the sharp smell of permanent markers, and sweat...Chloe had been running and climbing a lot to earn that splinter. And two other things floated into the memory: Chloe hugging Max tightly and praising her as "Doctor Max" after the successful 'operation' on her finger...and Chloe saying, "Max and Chloe...forever," right after...it had been the first time she'd said that. Max had forgotten about that...never realizing how important that moment had been to her.

And as she watched blood trickle down from the bullet hole and past Chloe's unblinking eyes, something in her mind broke.

"Something wrong, Miss Caulfield?" Prescott asked. He laughed.

Max looked at the camera above the screen. Prescott's smile vanished and he frowned, leaning back away from the camera.

Max reached her hand out and rewound to the point where she'd scattered the photos.

As Prescott said, "I...what?", Max snatched up the photo she'd identified and turned to the camera. Prescott's eyes widened as soon as he saw her face.

"You," Max said, her voice low and dangerous, "are just like Jefferson. You're a monster...a sick, twisted piece of shit. You've fucked up so many people's' lives and you don't even blink. You even ruined your own son. You're a murderer and a coward. And you  _ never  _ should have hurt Chloe. That was your biggest mistake, you fucking bastard. You will  _ never _ get what you're after. I don't care what I have to do but I  _ promise  _ you that by the end of this, you'll be in jail...or dead."

As she spoke, the lights in the room flickered...and they did so on Prescott's end as well.

Prescott glanced around, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly open.

Before he could do anything else, Max locked her eyes on the photo in her hand and jumped into the past.

**. . . . .**

The click of the camera filled the room and Max caught the photo as it spilled out.

She put the camera and photo down and sat heavily on the bed, burying her head in her hands.

Outside, birds chirped in the sunlight. The soft sound of a violin wafted from across the hall. But in Max's mind, Chloe's screams reverberated over and over.

Slowly, she drowned the screams out. Slowly, she pushed the images away. Her breathing returned to normal and she rewound.

For a while, she stared at the posters on the other side of her room, trying to better remember the times when she didn't have to worry about her best friend being tortured and shot. She tried to think back to Portland...back to walking along the train tracks...back to Chloe's old room and the old pirate fort.

The minutes ticked by...and when fuzzy whiteness began to poke at the edges of Max's vision, she rewound again.

She took a deep breath. Then another; and another.

_ We'll never hang out in our pirate fort again unless I figure this out _ , Max thought,  _ I came here to think...and that means that I need to  _ think _. I can't save Chloe if all I do is think about what Prescott's doing to her. _

She glanced around.

_ I have some time here...some time to piece things together _ , she thought.

She shoved aside thoughts of needles and guns...of restraints and rage. She brought herself back to the files and notes she'd read in Prescott's study.

_ This whole thing...all of it...has been Prescott's game to get power...more power than he's ever had _ , Max thought,  _ and it's all based on his guesses about some ritual...and he could be  _ completely  _ wrong _ .

Max laid back and stared at the ceiling.

_ So what's going to happen? I'm going to save Chloe; there's no way that's not happening. And then...Prescott somehow keeps us from telling anyone until the storm shows up? I don't believe it...with what he's doing to Chloe? He'll kill us as soon as he doesn't need us. Fuck...this must all be turning out exactly as he intended. Except that he  _ doesn't  _ know how everything's going to turn out. He flat out said that  _ he  _ wasn't the one with the real talent for fortune-telling powers. That was Rachel. So hell, maybe this is turning out how Rachel inten… _

Max sat up, her eyes wide.

"How  _ Rachel  _ intended," she said aloud.

_ Okay Max, think...you've thought about this  _ a lot _...and there's one big piece of new information: Rachel could see the future...supposedly...I don't see why Prescott would lie about that. And with that in mind, Rachel did two very specific things: she had Justin and Trevor do  _ something  _ secret and she had Dana hide an envelope somewhere that has some connection to me...a connection to  _ me _. _

From Beta Max's journal entries and her own thoughts on the matter, only one possibility made sense: the mysterious envelope had to have been placed somewhere in  _ this  _ room.

She walked around the room, glancing at each and every place that she'd already checked. There were no new places...no stone left unturned, as it were.

She walked over towards the door, wondering for a moment if Dana had placed the envelope behind the little whiteboard outside...before remembering that she'd managed to knock that whiteboard off of the wall on her first day at Blackwell...and there'd been no envelope there. She stopped and sighed, looking over at the mirror by the door.

_ The original selfie...your own reflection _ , Max thought,  _ all of my selfies  _ are  _ mirrors, in a way...they… _

Max stopped thinking. She couldn't believe she'd missed it...it had been there along along...one place she  _ hadn't _ checked: the mirror had been in her room before she'd moved in and she'd completely overlooked it. She stepped forward and carefully lifted the mirror off of the wall. She put it face-down on her bed...and a small envelope was taped to the back.

She stared at it.

All this time...despite the doe, despite Beta Max's notes, despite everything Prescott had said, Max had never  _ really  _ been convinced that Rachel was as much a part of this as everything seemed to suggest...part of her had always figured that it was wishful thinking. But now? Here was something concrete...something  _ real _ .

She slowly reached out and gently lifted the tape holding the envelope to the back of the mirror. She slid the mirror aside and sat on the bed, the envelope in her hand.

She breathed deeply and opened it: inside was a polaroid picture.

_ Huh? _ Max thought.

She pulled the photo out: it was a shot of Chloe's bedroom. Max turned the photo over and, written on the back, was a short handwritten message:

**_You know what to do_ **

Max simply stared at it in shock before thinking,  _ but...can I? From  _ here _? I'm already in a photojump...can I do another?  _ she thought.

Max flipped the photo back over and stared at the image of Chloe's room.

_ The answers we need may be on the other side of this _ , Max thought,  _ and if I'm going to make sure that Chloe is safe once and for all...if I'm going to get us out of Prescott's trap, I need to find out everything I can _ .

Max bit her lip and focused on the photo. The view of Chloe's bedroom seemed to expand around her and her own room vanished.


	27. Rachel's Revenge

White light dissolved away and Chloe's room came into focus around Max.

She felt out of place...it was a room partway in between the one she remembered from her childhood and the one that had become a rebellious punk den. Flower-printed curtains, thin and worn, adorned the window by the bed instead of a flag. There were fewer posters on the walls...fewer sharpie drawings...and Chloe's old pirate hat hung off the corner of a mirror in the corner.

Max smiled and then a voice spoke from behind her.

"Max Caulfield."

She spun around.

Rachel Amber sat in Chloe's desk chair, one leg tucked under her and the other dangling towards the floor, a small mischievous smile on her face. She held William's old camera in one hand, and the photo she just took in the other.

"Rachel?" Max said. Her voice seemed...thin on the air. And it also seemed to echo, making her brow furrow.

She looked down and her eyes widened: her hands...her arms...her entire body was fuzzy and translucent. And instead of the pajamas she'd been wearing in her room moments before, her body was clothed in what she'd been wearing in Prescott's study.

 _This is really fucking weird_ , Max thought, _Chloe would totally say that I'm a hipster ghost_.

She managed a small smile and started to look back to Rachel when movement to her left caught her eye. She turned and jumped: standing right next to her was...herself.

For a moment she thought she was looking into a mirror of some kind...but the other Max, just as translucent as she was, had her head tilted and eyes wide...while Max simply had her mouth hanging open. The other Max's clothes were also different...and her hair sported a streak of pink.

Max looked between her doppelganger and Rachel.

Rachel smiled wider and said, "you two must be _so_ fucking confused."

Both Maxes nodded.

"Let me introduce you, then. G-Max," Rachel said, gesturing to Max, "meet Beta Max," she gestured to the other Max, "Beta Max, meet G-Max."

Max glanced over and saw Beta Max roll her eyes. She looked back at Rachel, who watched them with a glint in her eyes.

"Chloe's talked _so_ much about you," Rachel said, her eyes sliding back and forth between the two Maxes, "I've...really want to meet you...for a long time," she chuckled, "I even tried to convince Chloe that we should drive up to Seattle and find you. She's probably forgotten about that...but it was never really in the cards...and while Chloe never told me directly, I think she was scared shitless that you'd turn us away."

The two Maxes glanced at each other guiltily.

"I...wish that we were getting to meet under better circumstances...but this is still so much better than never meeting you at all," Rachel said.

"You...intended that we'd end up here, didn't you?" Max said.

Rachel nodded and said, "yes...and I know that before coming here, you were both standing over a pile of photos in Sean Prescott's study, trying to find a way out of his trap...and that Chloe isn't doing so well."

She looked away, scowling.

"I wish I could've done something...anything...to lessen that pain...but Prescott is one _hell_ of a persistent asshole," Rachel said.

"So...it's true?" Beta Max said, "you can...see into the future?"

"Oh yes, my young apprentices," Rachel said, smiling and standing up, "we three are goddesses of time, aren't we? Forwards, backwards, even side to side...and yet fate is cruel...and too big for us to control," she frowned, "I was also with Chloe when I first received my powers...she obviously doesn't know that but...she was a big part of it. It happened when I was...lost...my whole life turned upside down...and I so desperately needed to know that I'd be whole again someday...that I'd be okay...that someone would rescue me. I...saw an image of Chloe and I laying on the hood of her truck. I didn't know what I'd seen...but seeing Chloe and I like that? Smiling and happy? It helped, even though I didn't know why...and then Chloe got my attention, showing me again that she's a hella good friend."

They all smiled.

"I had more visions in the days and weeks that followed," Rachel continued, "and then I learned to control them...and then I learned how to look for specific things...and how to see when and how I might change things. And then...well...Prescott told you the truth when he said that by the time I realized what _he_ was doing, he already had me trapped. I have _way_ more natural skill than he does...but he's been doing this for years...and he's fucking rich. But he has _no_ idea what I will be capable of later."

"What did you...um...what _will_ you do?" Max said.

"I'm going to die," Rachel said, sitting down again, a sad smile on her face.

The Maxes looked at one another.

"I know what you're probably thinking and no, there's no way around it," Rachel said, "as much as I'd prefer to not die of a fucking overdose and get buried in a junkyard, every possible future where I'm alive leads to Chloe, Frank, and/or me being killed and, in some, Arcadia Bay gets flattened. Make no mistake, Max...both of you...Sean Prescott has every intention of killing you _and_ Chloe as soon as he thinks your purpose has been fulfilled."

"I…," both Maxes started. They stopped and gestured to one another to speak.

"It's okay, Maxes," Rachel said, "I know what has to happen and I've accepted it. It wasn't easy, especially since I know I can't say goodbye to anyone...that's...hard, probably the hardest thing about this...but I'm _not_ going to let anyone else die over this. Besides, I've seen part of my own afterlife. How fucking amazing is that? I've seen little glimpses of things that are just...so beautiful. And I've seen that I'm going to be working some hella magic after I die. That's not so bad."

"So the doe _is_ you," Max said.

Rachel smiled and said, "Weird, isn't it? And playing the role of mysterious ghost deer isn't all I'll be doing. You know those premonitions you'll...you've _had_ of the storms?"

"Yeah," Max and Beta Max said.

"Ever think it strange that you've never had any _other_ visions of the future?" Rachel said.

Max tilted her head.

"Wait," she said, "the storm visions? Those came...will come...from _you_?" Max said.

"Yes, and you're not the only one I'll be working on," Rachel said, "turns out that Prescott's powers are so weak that pretty much the moment _your_ powers show up, boom," she snapped her fingers, "his are toast."

"What do you mean?" Beta Max said.

"It's difficult enough to navigate _possible_ futures," Rachel said, "it gives me one hell of a headache. And it's way worse for Prescott. It's...he didn't get his powers the same way any of _us_ did. I found out through a clever little trick," she smiled, "turns out that spying on your own possible future actions and conversations can be very useful...that fucker monologued for _ever_ in a future where he captured me. Turns out that when he was at Blackwell, a girl he had a crush on died and she...gave him powers. I have no idea how she did it….maybe I'll find out once I, too, shed my mortal coil. However it happened, Prescott's abilities are weaker. And when _you_ turn up, you start changing the future left and right every time you rewind. You create all kinds of possibilities and temporary timelines. Makes it difficult for _me_ to see the future...and impossible for Prescott."

"So what do you mean by 'working on' him?" Max said.

"Prescott _did_ have a vision of you saving Chloe...and without any interference from me, it would be like a switch turned off... _click_ . He wouldn't see _anything_ else past the moment where you first used your power. And while he's not the sharpest tool in the tool chest, he's not a _complete_ dumbass. He would've put two and two together and had you killed to restore his power," Rachel said.

Max's eyes widened and she shared a glance with Beta Max.

"So…," Beta Max said, "you saved my...our lives."

"You're welcome," Rachel said with a wink, "oh...and I should probably mention that it's my fault that there's two of you."

"Wait, what?" Beta Max said, "how?"

Rachel shrugged and said, "I'm not sure how I do it...bend some kind of rule, I imagine," she smiled slyly, "but in every timeline where...what does Chloe call her? Alpha Max...so in every timeline where Alpha Max doesn't get overwritten early, _you_ don't have enough time to figure things out before Prescott pounces. None of those end well...so there _had_ to be two of you: one to start gathering clues early," she gestured to Beta Max, "and one to cheat the bathroom incident in the first place," she gestured at Max, "and somehow I manage to make that happen without fucking up causality," she bowed.

"So…," Max started.

"Without me somehow diverting your photojumping," Rachel said, "Beta Max would never exist and you and Chloe end up dead in Prescott's house."

"Fuck," Beta Max said.

"Er...speaking of Prescott's trap, what do we do about Chloe?" Max said.

"Save her life again...not that there's any way you wouldn't," Rachel said.

"But doesn't that play right into Prescott's hands?" Max said.

"Yes and no. For a couple of reasons," Rachel said, "first," she held up one finger, "Prescott isn't even _close_ to right about what causes those storms."

"So his 'ritual' is wrong?" Beta Max said.

Rachel nodded and said, "it's funny...he had an opportunity to get what he wanted a while ago, shortly before I got my powers. Did you hear about the big forest fire here back in 2010?"

Beta Max nodded.

Max looked at her and said, "we did?"

"Yeah...mom and dad mentioned it a couple of times," Beta Max said, "I wouldn't have remembered except...Chloe told me a little about it." She looked over at Rachel.

"Yeah...about that," Rachel said, smiling, "it was me; I started it. I'd...never been that angry...that hurt...that lost... _ever_ . It all just came out right there...and after I kicked over a flaming trash can, I screamed," she seemed to look off into the distance, "I screamed...and the flames spread _everywhere_. It was...something to see. And then a couple days later, I got stabbed. And while I was in the hospital, I nearly died and the fire just...went out."

Both Maxes raised their eyebrows.

"That sounds…," Max started.

"A little supernatural?" Rachel said.

Both Maxes nodded.

"It was my storm, that fire," Rachel said, "I started it, I sustained it, and when I nearly died, it died."

"But...the tornado...I don't understand," Beta Max said, her brow furrowed.

"You've always been under the impression that _you_ caused that storm, haven't you?" Rachel said.

Both Maxes nodded again.

"In the timeline where you prevented Chloe from being shot, she never told you what happened after she ran out of that bathroom," Rachel said.

It wasn't a question; both Maxes shook their heads.

Rachel crossed her arms and stared at the floor.

"It was bad," she said, "very bad. I think...I think it might have been the lowest moment of her life. Lower than when her dad died. Lower than when you left. Lower than when I disappear. Everything just came crashing down on her. She'd lost her dad, she'd lost you, she'd lost me. We were _all_ gone. She'd never felt so alone...so abandoned. And Nathan's words got to her...I'm sure they did. I think those words dug under her skin and made it that much worse. She was angry...and she was hopeless. She drove home and while you were talking to Wells, she was stealing step-douche's gun. She screamed, she cried, and she cursed everything and everyone she could think of. I can't read minds, Max, so I don't know what she intended. She came back to Blackwell and wandered outside the school...but every future led her back to her truck...and straight to you. And when she saw you, Max," she glanced between them, "that brought her back."

Max stood still, her mouth open. She didn't know what to say.

"But it was too late," Rachel said, "in the time between escaping from Nathan and finding you, she'd triggered the storm...her rage, her hurt, and her horror...the same way that I started that fire...and her life sustained it. That tornado was _Chloe's_ storm."

"But...wait," Beta Max said, "Chloe died...she was shot by Jefferson...and the storm still came."

"Yeah, that's where the storm _is_ kind of your fault," Rachel said, tilting her head, "you created so many different and temporary branches of time that you maintained the _possibility_ of Chloe. That, I think, was enough to keep it going."

"But why did it take so long to form?" Max said, "it sounded like your fire just...started right away."

"I'm not sure...but I think it might also be your fault, Maxes," Rachel said, "I think you might have delayed Chloe's tornado with all of your tricks...blocked it, in a way. Most of the unnatural crap you encountered? The snow? The eclipse? I think that was because _you_ were changing time back and forth so much...probably didn't help that that week was full of...sensitive moments in time? However Brooke and Warren put it."

"What about the whales?" Beta Max said.

Rachel shrugged, "maybe it was you...maybe it was the storm coming. I'm a premonitionist, not a marine biologist." She smiled.

"And wait," Beta Max said, "if these storms and fires and stuff are triggered by people having seriously terrible days, why don't they happen all the time? Wouldn't Victoria be causing a hurricane or something every time she broke a nail?"

Max snorted and Rachel laughed.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Rachel said, "maybe it's like the powers...maybe they only show up for certain people at certain times. And it's probably too big of a coincidence that you, me, and Chloe are all so closely entangled with this...maybe it's something that gets passed along somehow."

They were silent for a few moments.

"Um...you said that there was a second reason why saving Chloe wouldn't play into Prescott's hands?" Max said.

"Can you keep a secret?" Rachel said, leaning forward.

"Depends," Beta Max said.

"On what?" Rachel said.

"On whether or not it counts as keeping it a secret if we tell Chloe," Max said, getting a smile and nod from Beta Max.

"Oh yes, still counts," Rachel said, her eyes smiling.

"In that case, yes," Beta Max said.

"Well, I know some people who are _excellent_ at making props...very _realistic_ props," Rachel said, "and it just so happens that I commissioned a piece that is...pertinent to our situation."

Max's eyes widened.

"No," she said.

"Oh yes," Rachel said, smiling mischievously.

"Wait," Beta Max said, glancing between Max and Rachel, "what are you talking about?"

"Did you go back to Prescott's study through the photo?" Max said.

"Yeah," Beta Max said.

"Did you look through his stuff on artifacts?" Max said.

"Er...no...I was worried about screwing my past self over so I really zipped through it...besides, Chloe and I learned at least a little from Miranda...er...did you visit that place in Portland?" Beta Max said.

"Yeah," Max said, "but I ended up spending a while with going through Prescott's files on artifacts...turns out that the Tobanga's one of them."

"Shit, really? What does it do?" Beta Max said.

"As soon as one of those supernatural disasters shows up, it starts soaking up power," Rachel said, "for some lucky fucker to steal. The Tobanga is the key to it all."

"Okay, so what...oh," Beta Max said, her own eyes widening.

"The Tobanga you've seen lately is a fake," Rachel said, "and a damn good one. Prescott will be sitting in his bunker under Blackwell, waiting for the storm to blast the whole town to shreds so he can stroll over and nab himself some immortality. I wish you could see his face when he realizes that the Tobanga isn't actually there."

"Because it's at Bayley Point," Max said.

"And _that's_ on the nose," Rachel said, touching a finger to her nose.

"Shit, that explains those dreams...the visions," Beta Max said.

"Sorry about that," Rachel said, "I...can't see much about what I'll know and what I'll be able to do after I'm dead. But it's pretty clear that I won't be able to tell _you_ much. I think...I think that I'll be able to send some information through Chloe's dreams, if I'm seeing things right. But even that seems shaky...looks like it relies on her own subconscious to translate whatever I'm trying to tell her. Not very reliable...but apparently clear communication isn't something you get in abundance when you're dead." She shrugged and turned her eyes briefly to the floor.

In that moment, Max wanted nothing more than to give Rachel a hug...and maybe just never let go. She stared over into Rachel's eyes and Rachel gazed back with a gentle smile.

 _She was Chloe's best friend, her angel...she was there when I wasn't_ , Max thought, glancing at Beta Max and seeing her own feelings reflected in her twin's eyes, _and she's going to make sure that_ she _dies...so that Chloe and Frank can live...so that so many other people can live. And...Chloe did the same thing..._

Max thought back to the lighthouse...to the terrifying moment where she'd had to make that horrible choice. Chloe had insisted then that her own life wasn't worth the lives of everyone in the town below...words that now echoed through Max's head.

 _They were both willing to die..._ are _willing to die...to save the people they love. But does it have to be that way?_

Max opened her mouth to speak but Beta Max got to it first.

"Rachel?" Beta Max said, "isn't there _any_ way to save you?"

"No, Max, I'm sorry," Rachel said, a small smile on her face, "all paths have to converge sometimes. You experienced one of those in the bathroom with Nathan and Chloe. For me, it's in Jefferson's Dark Room. As far as everyone else is concerned, that's where my story ends...taped up on a bunker floor, betrayed and used...my life stolen away."

Max tried to blink tears away.

Rachel smiled and said, "but I know that it's coming...and I know that some big part of me will continue on...and that my best friend will live...and that you'll be there for her...and, of course, that I'll win in the end."

Max heard Beta Max sniff next to her.

"Max...both of you," Rachel said, "you're the instruments of my revenge. When you get back, you get to the Tobanga first. Make sure Prescott _never_ gets what he wants."

"What do we do when we get to it?" Max asked.

"I'm...not entirely sure," Rachel said, frowning, "that's where my premonitions fade out."

Both Maxes frowned.

"And speaking of fading out," Rachel said, "I think we're nearly out of time."

Both Max and Beta Max stepped forward towards Rachel and looked at each other with momentary surprise.

Rachel smiled and stood up, stepping towards them and holding out her hands.

Both Maxes reached out. As Max's hand encountered Rachel's, she felt a curious sensation...warmth where her fingers seemed to slip into Rachel's hand.

"G-Max," she said, smiling at Max, "Beta Max," she smiled at Beta Max.

"I am _never_ going to escape that name, am I?" Beta Max said.

"I think we all know Chloe well enough to know that you'll be Beta Max forever," Rachel said, a glint in her eyes.

Max gave Beta Max a sympathetic shrug and lopsided smile.

"I'm sorry...really sorry...that we couldn't get to know each other better," Rachel continued, her eyes bright.

"Me too," both Maxes said.

"Promise me something," Rachel said.

Both Maxes nodded.

"Take care of Chloe," Rachel said, "I love her...but I could never be for her what she really wanted...what she really needed. That's you. And tell her...tell her that I'm sorry for not letting her in on all of these secrets...I...she never would have been able to accept what has to happen."

Both Maxes nodded.

"And," Rachel continued, "tell her that I love her...and give her a hug for me...and, fuck, kiss her for me too."

Max laughed, feeling tears spill onto her cheeks.

"Alright, get the hell out of here," Rachel said, withdrawing her hands and wiping tears from her own face, "I need to get myself composed before Chloe gets out of the shower."

Both Maxes stepped back.

Whiteness began to creep at the edges of Max's vision.

"Wait," Max said, a thought occurring to her, "what about the mega lightning storm? Where does that come from?"

"Can you think of a particularly strong and shitty emotional outburst in your recent past?" Rachel said, a grim smile on her face.

The Maxes looked at each other.

"It's _your_ storm, Max," Rachel said.

"Can't I...we...rewind when we get back? Make it so that it never happened?" Beta Max said.

Whiteness began to fill the room.

"I don't think so, Max," Rachel said, her voice becoming faint, "the trigger's been pulled."

Max turned to her twin, seeing a mirror of her worried expression.

"Max," Rachel said, "you and Chloe will figure it out...I know you will."

Max turned back and Rachel seemed washed out.

"I hope so," Beta Max said quietly.

Max turned to her and said, "good luck."

"You too," Beta Max said.

They nodded to one another and turned back to Rachel.

"Good bye, Maxes," Rachel said, "and who knows? Maybe we'll see each other again someday."

A knowing smile touched her lips and Max couldn't help but think that Rachel might know more than she'd told.

"Good bye, Rachel," both Maxes said.

The whiteness enveloped them.

**. . . . .**

Max took a deep breath as her dorm room materialized around her, blinking at the bright sunlight streaming through the window.

She glanced down at the photo in her hands. She briefly touched her fingertips to her heart and then to the photo. She wasn't sure why she did it...but it felt right. She placed the photo back into its envelope, retaped it behind the mirror, and hung the mirror back up.

Satisfied that everything was the way it had been when she'd arrived, she sat down on the bed and stared outside, following wisps of clouds with her eyes as they floated across the window.

 _It's so...unfair_ , Max thought, _she was...she's done so much for us. She made the choice to die for her friends...but she never should have had to make that choice in the first place. If only I could trade places with her…_

Max's eyes widened at that thought.

 _I...guess I_ would _do that, if I could_ , Max thought, _but then again...she said that Chloe needed me...that she_ couldn't _be what Chloe needed. But still…_

Max looked up at the ceiling, tears forming in her eyes.

 _I think...I think I understand why so many people loved her...why so many people were willing to do whatever she asked_ , Max thought, _she...it seemed like she had so much energy...so much life...so much love. The world could use more people like her_.

Max pressed her lips together and stared hard at the opposite wall, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

 _And there won't be a lot of people like her if people like Sean Prescott keep winning_ , Max thought, _Rachel asked me to do this and I'm sure as hell going to do it...for her, for Chloe, and for everyone in this town. She said all paths converge sometimes. I guess Chloe, Sean Prescott, and I will all be meeting at the Tobanga._

Whiteness began to poke at the edges of Max's vision again and she stood.

 _Instrument of Rachel's revenge_ , Max thought, smiling, _I like that_.

As the room around her faded, a stray thought tugged at her mind...something about the coming storm. Before she could think about it further, she was pulled back into the future.

**. . . . .**

Sean Prescott's study appeared around Max and she found herself exactly where she'd been, staring down at the picture of her room.

"What...what did you just do?" came Prescott's voice.

Max's head jerked up and she saw Sean Prescott staring at her from the screen, his brow furrowed.

 _Shit_ , Max, _this is right after I went nuts at him and the lights flickered...he has no idea that_ I _just triggered the storm...apparently._

" _Tell me!_ " Prescott snapped.

Max immediately rewound to just after she'd given her explanation of the emergency photos on the desk.

As soon as she stopped the rewind, she saw Prescott glance over to what she guessed must be the Water Ring.

"Ah, I see…," he began.

"Fuck this," Max interrupted, stepping around the desk, "let's just get you your fucking storm so we can cut the bullshit."

She glanced at the screen to see Prescott's mouth open in surprise.

She didn't wait for his response and walked over to the door to Chloe's cell.

Max reached out for the doorknob and glanced over to see Chloe staring at her with wide eyes. Max winked at her and Chloe's eyes seemed to widen further.

Max breathed out and stopped time. She opened the door and stepped into the room.

She looked over at Chloe, who was still staring at where Max had been...and Max could feel tension, like a rubber band, pulling back towards that spot.

 _Too many people watching me_ , Max thought, stepping forward to the mechanism holding the gun.

She tilted her head, staring at it, before reaching up and unhooking a part that looped around the trigger. And, for good measure, she pushed the entire contraption so that the gun pointed away from Chloe.

Nodding, she let go of her hold on time and was pulled back out to the other side of the door.

Time resumed around her and she opened the door again. A small click sounded...no gunshot. She glanced over at Chloe, who slumped down in her restraints, her eyes closing with relief.

"Ah, very good, Miss Caulfield," Prescott's voice came from a speaker on the wall, causing Chloe to open her eyes and roll them, "I wish I could have seen how you did it. And thank you very much."

"No, Mr. Prescott, fuck _you_ very much," Max said, walking back into the study and over to the desk.

"It is unfortunate that parents these days don't teach their children more manners," Prescott said.

"What, like teaching their kids to deal drugs to other students, do a shit job with schoolwork, and shoot people in the girls' bathroom? Or do you teach by example through things like kidnapping and accessory to murder?" Max said, glaring at the camera above the screen.

"My point, Miss Caulfield, is that one should be _polite_ when doing all of those things," Prescott said.

Max paused.

"You see, Miss Caulfield, I _do_ have a sense of humor," Prescott said, "now please wait a moment while I check something. James, if you would, please remove the head restraint from Miss Price; it's very expensive and Miss Price has already damaged it."

Max watched as Prescott stood and walked away from the screen; the man in the study, James, entered Chloe's cell. As soon as James had his back turned to Max, she ducked under the desk and opened a hidden cover to reveal a small bank of switches. She flipped the one labeled "GAS" to the off position. She stood up again before either Prescott or James returned.

Max tapped her foot, waiting. As she glanced around the room, the lights flickered and dimmed for several seconds.

 _Shit_ , Max thought, _I guess Rachel was right...rewinding_ didn't _erase my little moment of rage. And if she's right about what that did, there's a storm coming._ My _storm..._

James emerged from Chloe's cell and Max looked over to see Chloe staring at her, one eyebrow raised. Max gave her a small but confident smile; both of Chloe's eyebrows raised in response.

Prescott returned to the monitor.

"It seems that our little ritual was successful," Prescott said, "and that means that congratulations are in order. However," he sighed, "this does mean that you have become more of a liability than a resource, Miss Caulfield. And that means good-bye. And to you as well, Miss Price. And James, I thank you very much for your many years of service. I hope that I will be able to revive you once everything is finished. If not..." Prescott shrugged and the monitor clicked off.

James stood motionless, his mouth open. Max ducked down beneath the desk again and flipped the switches "SURV" and "CELL LOCK" to their off positions, guessing that those would, respectively, turn off the cameras in the room and keep the door to Chloe's room from being locked.

She leapt up, rushed into Chloe's cell, and tore the duct tape off of Chloe's mouth.

"Ow! Fuck!" Chloe shouted.

"Sorry, figured it would be better if I did it quickly," Max said, undoing the restraints on Chloe's wrists and torso.

"Remind me never to try bondage with you," Chloe said, sitting up slowly and rubbing her wrists.

"Try what now?" Max said, unhooking the restraints around Chloe's legs and ankles.

"Er...ask later," Chloe said, "and...um...is this really a good time to be feeling me up?"

Max had her hands on Chloe's ankles, squeezing as she felt up and down.

"Just looking for...ah, you still have it," Max said, feeling the bracelet under Chloe's jeans.

"It's all about the business with Max," Chloe said.

Max responded by grabbing Chloe's head and kissing her.

She broke away and touched her forehead to Chloe's, saying, "are you okay?"

"I am _now_ ," Chloe said before wincing, "er...honestly, I still feel like shit...but I'm fine."

"Come on, then," Max said, taking Chloe's hand and pulling her off the table.

Chloe groaned and followed Max into the study, where James was pounding his fists feebly against the other door.

"Dude…," Chloe said, shaking her head.

"Er...James?" Max said, approaching the man.

He turned, his eyes wide and filled with tears.

"I...I can't...twenty-five years...I...," he said.

"Here, sit down, it's okay," Max said, guiding him to the chair she'd been strapped to, "I turned off the gas. We'll be okay."

James sat down and held his head in his hands, continuing to mumble.

"Lost cause, that," Chloe said, glaring.

Max stood up and turned to face Chloe.

"Chloe," she said, "I...I went back through some photos and found out...a lot."

Chloe's eyes widened.

"What did you find?" Chloe said.

"I'll tell you everything after we get out of here," Max said, "but I think...I think I understand a lot more than I did."

 _Understatement of the night, that's for sure_ , Max though, _oh, wait..._

She walked over to one of the bookcases, scanned over a familiar shelf, and pulled out _The Tempest_. She reached behind it and her fingers found the flashdrive she'd hidden. She pocketed it and put the book back.

"What's that?" Chloe said.

"The flashdrive where Prescott has secret video footage of you and Beta Max breaking into this house," Max said.

"Shit! Are you fucking kidding me?" Chloe said.

"No...he had secret cameras that Nathan and Victoria didn't know about," Max said.

"So...how did you…?" Chloe said.

"After we get out of here," Max said, squeezing Chloe's arm.

"Okay...so how _do_ we get out of here?" Chloe said, "seems like we're still kinda screwed."

Max smiled.

"Not quite," she said.

She showed Chloe where the hidden door switch was and, on a hunch, urged her to stand back. Max opened the hidden compartment, flipped the switch, and the metal door whisked to the side.

Outside, two men drew guns and Max rewound before they could say...or shoot...anything.

"Two guards outside with guns," Max said after her rewind.

"Can you sneak us around them?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said.

"Then I have an idea," Chloe said, limping back into the room where she'd been imprisoned.

After a few crashing sounds and loud swearing, Chloe returned holding a syringe.

"This is the shit Prescott had at my neck...hurts like a motherfucker," Chloe said, "we just jab them with this and they'll probably shit themselves."

Max grimaced and glanced down.

"No, I didn't shit myself," Chloe said.

"Good to know," Max said.

Max triggered the door again and, holding Chloe's hand, froze time as soon as it opened partway. She poked her head out and spotted the two men frozen in place, their hands reaching towards their guns. Chloe poked her head out above Max's.

"Damn, Max, I will never get over how fucking crazy this time shit is," Chloe said.

Max smiled.

"These guys are really nailing the goon look, huh?" Chloe said.

Max glanced back at the two men, who wore matching black pants, sweaters, and beanies.

"No kidding," Max said, pulling Chloe out into the hall.

"Crazy being in here again," Chloe said, glancing around.

"First time for me," Max said.

They walked behind the two men and Chloe leaned forward with the syringe before Max held her back.

"Hold on, look," Max said, pointing to an oddly-shaped gun on a small table behind the goons; it had a pile of small darts next to it.

"That must be one of the tranq guns they used to nab us," Chloe said.

"Well, then instead of making these guys crap themselves in pain, let's just knock them out," Max said.

"Yeah, probably a better idea," Chloe said.

Max pulled Chloe over to grab the tranq gun.

"So," Max said, holding it up, "think I should just shoot them in the neck like they did to us?"

"Or the butt," Chloe said, shrugging.

"Let's go for the necks," Max said.

She grabbed the darts, noticing that some had "MC" etched on them while others had "CP".

"Um," Max said, holding the darts up to Chloe.

"Oh, dude...they must have prepared these specifically for us," Chloe said, "kinda creepy."

"So which ones should I shoot them with?" Max said.

"Well, you're tiny and they're huge," Chloe said, "so maybe two Max doses for each of them?"

"Prescott said they gave me extra sedatives," Max said, eyeing the darts warily.

"Yeah, but I think that was after," Chloe said, "they had you hooked up to an IV for a while."

"Ugh," Max said.

"You know, these guys _were_ going to fucking shoot us," Chloe said.

"You're right," Max said, loading a dart with "MC" into the gun and taking three more.

They approached one of them men. Max aimed carefully near his neck and pulled the trigger. A small puff of air sounded and the dart emerged from the gun...and almost immediately froze in the air.

"Holy shit that is so fucking cool!" Chloe said, leaning in to stare at the dart.

"Yeah...I guess I've never tried something like this before," Max said, loading a second dart and firing it just a bit to the side before moving to the second man, Chloe in tow.

She repeated the process, leaving a pair of darts hanging inches from the man's neck.

"Okay," Max said, "stand back."

"Hold on," Chloe said, reaching forward, pulling both of the mens' guns out, and placing them on the floor.

"Just in case," Chloe continued.

They took several steps back and Max unfroze time.

The darts immediately flew into the men's' necks. Their hands jerked near their empty holsters and they both reached up towards their necks before stumbling and collapsing to the floor.

"Oh my god that was the most amazing fucking thing I've ever seen!" Chloe said, hopping up and down.

Max shook her head, trying unsuccessfully to hide a smile.

But then Chloe stumbled and had to lean against a wall, grimacing.

"Chloe!" Max said.

"It's fine...it's fine," Chloe said, "just...still getting over that shit."

Max stared at Chloe, biting her lip.

"Seriously, Super Max, I'll be okay," Chloe said, "er...I'm guessing you have some kind of plan?"

"Yeah," Max said, "we...need to find a car and get out of here."

"We going to warn everyone about the storm?" Chloe said, pushing against the wall to stand up.

"We may not have time," Max said.

"Going to explain?" Chloe said.

"On the way," Max said, "we just need to find the garage."

"That way," a voice said.

The two girls spun around and Max raised the tranquilizer gun.

James stood at the study door, his shoulders slumped and his face grim. He pointed to his right.

"Go all the way to the end of the hall; the door at the end leads to the garage," he continued, "all of the keys are past the door on the right."

"Uh...thanks," Max said.

"And here," he said, holding out a syringe, "this is an antidote to the toxins. Otherwise, if what I overheard is true, it'll take days to recover."

Max stepped forward and took the syringe.

"How do we know you're not lying?" Max said.

James chuckled mirthlessly, "I've never known what _really_ goes on here...and it turns out that my loyalty wasn't worth much to Mr. Prescott, in the end. I should've seen that a long time ago."

Max nodded and said, "thank you."

"Yeah, thanks, dude," Chloe said, taking the syringe from Max.

"Good luck," James said, walking back into the study.

Max turned to find Chloe jabbing the syringe into her arm, making Max wince.

"I've had worse," Chloe said, seeing her expression.

She tossed the syringe aside and Max retrieved her messenger bag, tossing the tranquilizer gun and darts into it. Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"Just in case," Max said.

They moved into the hall that James had pointed to, Chloe's gait growing more even with each step.

"Damn, that shit really worked...and _fast_ ," Chloe said, flexing her arm, "in fact...um...I'm starting to feel kinda high right now."

"If he was lying and it fucks you over, I'll rewind and kick him in the balls," Max said.

"I like your style, G," Chloe said.

They passed by a large kitchen and, moments later, Chloe excitedly pointed to a door off of the hall.

"Max, that's the door to hot tub heaven!" Chloe said.

"And hella cash, if I remember correctly," Max said.

"Not anymore," Chloe said with a grin.

They continued to the garage and stopped as they stepped in.

"Whoa," Max said.

"Damn," Chloe said, "I fucking _hate_ rich people."

The garage stretched out in front of them, four extra wide garage doors to their left and seven very expensive-looking, gleaming cars parked in a row.

"Well, since we're more or less at war with Sean Prescott now, I think we're free to pirate one of his cars," Max said.

"Oh shit you're right, this makes us legit pirates!" Chloe said, grinning, "which one should we take?"

"Er…," Max looked out over the cars and then over to a glass case next to the door, where each car's keys were...displayed, "give me a moment and...um...isn't it weird to put your keys in a glass box like this?"

"Yeah, hella weird...like I said...rich people," Chloe said, "oh fuck, I think that's a key for an Aston-Martin there." She pointed at one of the key sets in the case.

"A what now?" Max said, not recognizing the brands of most of the cars.

"It's what James Bond drives," Chloe said, bouncing on her feet, "so now it's Price, Chloe Price and Caulfield, Max Caulfield. Oh shit, do I have time to go back and get one of those guns?"

"Let's stick with tranquilizers," Max said, shaking her head at Chloe's giddiness.

 _I don't know what was in that antidote,_ Max thought, _but I'll take goofy Chloe over in-pain Chloe any day_.

"Probably a good call," Chloe said, "ooh, how about that Bentley?"

"Er...the last time I drove a Bentley was right after getting out of the Dark Room," Max said.

"Shit, sorry," Chloe said.

"It's okay...what the fuck is an Alfa Romeo?" Max said.

"I prefer an Alpha Juliet, myself," Chloe said.

"Oh?" Max said, putting a hand on her hip and staring up at Chloe.

"Er...I mean, I prefer a Gamma Max," Chloe said.

"That's the correct answer," Max said, returning her gaze to the array of keys.

 _Might as well roll with it_ , Max thought.

"He's got a Ferrari...and...holy fuck, a Lamborghini!" Chloe said.

"And the moment we put a toe on the accelerator pedal, we'd blast ourselves right into a tree," Max said.

"Do you doubt our driving skills so much?" Chloe said.

"Fuck it, let's be James Bond pirates," Max said, sliding the glass box open and grabbing the keys with the winged emblem.

"Now _that's_ what I'm talking about," Chloe said.

Max pushed the unlock button and they rushed over to the car that responded. Max hopped into the driver's seat and Chloe shouted, "shotgun" before sliding across the hood and jumping into the passenger seat.

Moments later, they sped out to the main road towards town.


	28. The Tobanga

"Okay, G, lay it on me," Chloe said, "what the hell happened?"

"I...thought we were pretty screwed," Max said, keeping her eyes on the road in front of them, "up until Prescott had butler-man dump my emergency photos all over the table."

"I know! I couldn't fucking believe it!" Chloe said, "how could he have had zero clue as to what those were for?"

"Well...what I can do with the photos  _ is _ pretty crazy, if you think about it," Max said, "I think...I think the photos are kind of like the artifacts. And I don't think it ever occurred to Prescott that I could use them that way."

"So where did you go?" Chloe said.

Max described going back to Prescott's study in the past.

"So wait," Chloe said, "while I was out exploring the house during our epic raid, it was  _ you _ back in the study, not Beta Max?"

"Yeah, at least this time around," Max said.

"Did...you change anything big?" Chloe said.

"I...I'm  _ really  _ sorry Chloe," Max said, looking to Chloe, "it's my fault that Prescott had that needle in your neck. It's...you know that flashdrive I grabbed from the bookcase?"

"The one with the break-in footage?" Chloe said, "yeah."

"When I went back to Prescott's study, I hid the flashdrive so he wouldn't have evidence of us breaking in," Max said, "and when I came back, Prescott was so much angrier and aggressive...I think it was because he didn't have the leverage to scare us. They...didn't have that needle the first time around."

"Max," Chloe said, putting a hand on Max's leg, "that's  _ not  _ your fault. That's all Prescott. I mean yeah, I'd've really preferred that that never happened. That shit was fucking awful; I've never had anything hurt that bad...and I got fucking  _ shot _ ," she shuddered, "but I'll take that trade-off...you made the right call. I got fucked up a little but now I'm fine and definitely sorta high... _ and _ Prescott doesn't have shit on us. Oh, and...um...timeline check...you know, to make sure nothing else changed: so...um...I took you on a first date to our pirate fort and it was fucking awesome...we also broke into the PI lair with the help of a ton of your...um... _ our _ Blackwell buddies...and after that you made a move on me. Then we went to Portland over the weekend. On the way you told me that you  _ love  _ me and boom: I dropped that right back at you. In Portland we got you some decent clothes, ate hella awesome breakfast, bought too much shit at Powell's...and you made  _ another _ move on me and fucked my brains out...and again the next morning...and last night. That all sound the same?"

"Yes," Max said, breathing out, "I'm so glad I didn't change any of that. I'll have to check my journal to see if all of the little details were the same but at least all of the big stuff didn't change."

"Hey, I'm glad you didn't change any of that either...aside from that bullshit back there, these have been the best days of my life," Chloe said, patting Max's leg.

Max smiled and said, "me too."

"Anyways," Chloe continued, "you managed to figure out everything from Prescott's study? Including how to deal with this storm shit?"

"Not...exactly," Max said, "I got information on how to get us out of Prescott's study...and found out way more about Prescott's plans. He...um...he wants the storm because he thinks it will make him immortal and stuff."

"You're joking," Chloe said.

"Nope," Max said, "he had one of those weird letters...just like the ones we found at the cabin in the woods. It...made it sound like you become...er...sort of godlike if you show up after the storm has done its thing."

"I thought he was bullshitting about there being something else with the storm," Chloe said, shaking her head, "just like his bullshit about him having superpowers and the stuff about Rachel."

Max glanced over at Chloe; Chloe stared back.

"Max...what did you find?" Chloe said, her voice quiet.

Max breathed out and said, "after I came back from the past the first time, I went back into another photo...this time it was one of my room. I needed a place to just  _ think _ ," Max said, "and then...I thought that if it  _ was  _ true that Rachel could see into the future, maybe things were going as  _ she _ intended... _ not _ as Prescott intended. And that made me think of the envelope again...the one that Rachel had Dana hide...I was  _ sure  _ it had to be in my room."

"But you looked everywhere for it and couldn't find it," Chloe said, "I remember...you hella trashed your room."

"It...turns out that I didn't look everywhere," Max said, "it was behind my mirror."

Chloe was silent and Max glanced over. Chloe stared out the windshield at nothing in particular.

"What was in the envelope?" she finally said.

"A photo," Max said, "of your room."

"Of...my room?" Chloe said, her brow furrowed.

"Yeah, and a note on the back saying, 'you know what to do,'" Max said.

Chloe stared at Max.

"Prescott wasn't lying," Max said, "I went back and...I met Rachel."

"You...you saw Rachel? You talked to her?" Chloe said, her eyes wide.

"Yeah...and...Beta Max was there too," Max said.

"I... _ what _ ? Fuck...I think my head's going to explode," Chloe said, squeezing her eyes shut.

Max put a hand over Chloe's fingers, which still rested on Max's leg.

"Chloe, I know...it's really weird. It was really weird to be there...to see...another  _ me _ standing there. And we were both kind of...ghostly since we weren't really there," Max said, "and Rachel...I...I think I understand now, everything people say about her. I really...I really wish I would have had more time to get to know her."

"The two of you would've been hella good friends," Chloe said, wiping her eyes with her other hand, "I just...can't believe you actually met her. Where was I?"

"Taking a shower," Max said.

"That's fucking  _ insane _ ...you're saying that while I was in the shower one day, Rachel was in my room talking to  _ you _ ?...to  _ two versions _ of you?...how the fuck is any of that even possible?" Chloe said.

"It was all Rachel; she actually  _ did _ have the power to see into the future," Max said, "but Prescott had it too and even though Rachel was stronger with it than he was, he had more experience and resources. By the time Rachel figured out what was happening, he'd boxed her in. He was trying to do with Rachel what he did with us. And she knew, because she could see more than Prescott thought she could...she saw that he intended on killing her, you, and Frank. There was no way out of it at that point so...she...she set it up so that she would die. To save you and Frank and...it sounded like plenty of other people too. And even after she died, she's still been helping us. She's the reason that there's two of me...to give us the time we needed to start figuring things out before Prescott could snatch us up. She gave me visions of the storm...storms, I guess. She's been showing up as the doe... _ and _ in your dreams. It was all her...and all of it has been to give us a leg up; to help us survive and stay a step ahead."

Tears streamed down Chloe's face.

"She saved me too, Chloe," Max continued, "when I got my power, it sort of overloaded Prescott...he couldn't use his power anymore because he couldn't navigate all of the fucked-up criss-cross timelines I was creating every time I rewound. Even when I was just doing things like keeping Alyssa from getting hit by a roll of toilet paper. Rachel's been feeding images to Prescott to keep him from realizing that I was blocking him...otherwise he would've had me killed."

"Shit," Chloe said.

"And Chloe," Max said, putting a hand on Chloe's leg, "she told me to tell you that she's sorry...sorry for what she put you through and not telling you. I...both of me...wanted so much to do something... _ anything _ ...to save her. But she said that there was nothing I could do. That's...that's why she never told you. And she's sorry for not...being able to be for you what you really needed. She said that she could never really provide that and...um...she said that you needed me."

Chloe let out an audible sob.

"And...she wanted me to tell you that she loves you," Max said, tears filling her own eyes.

Chloe scooted over and put her head on Max's shoulder; Max tilted her head to rest against Chloe's. They drove through Arcadia Bay in silence, the sky darkening rapidly above them and wind whipping leaves and loose trash across the road in front of them.

They left the main part of town and Chloe sat up.

"Where…," she said, her voice hoarse; she cleared her throat and continued, "where are we going?"

"To finish Rachel's revenge," Max said.

"What?" Chloe said.

"You know the Tobanga?" Max said.

"The creepy totem pole at Blackwell? Yeah," Chloe said.

"It's an artifact, like the others," Max said, "and its purpose is to soak up that power Prescott was babbling on about."

"Shit," Chloe said, "then what the hell are we doing out  _ here _ ?"

"It's okay," Max said, "all part of Rachel's plan...the Tobanga at Blackwell is a fake. Rachel had someone create a convincing prop and then Trevor and Justin moved the real one."

"Damn, Rachel...you clever bitch," Chloe said with a small smile, "so where is it? The real Tobanga?"

"Out at the edge of Bayley Point," Max said, pointing out ahead of them.

"What do we do when we get there?" Chloe said.

"In the vision, Rachel...er...as the doe spirit thing, showed me where it is," Max said, "and then Rachel herself said that we  _ need  _ to stop Prescott from getting to the Tobanga...we can't let him touch it."

"Isn't he probably sitting in a bunker near Blackwell right now?" Choe said.

"Right under Blackwell, actually," Max said, "but he's probably discovered our escape by now and might've figured things out. We may not have much time."

"And how the fuck are we going to stop him?" Chloe said.

"I think we'll just have to improvise," Max said.

"Rewinds and tranq darts?" Chloe said.

"Pretty much," Max replied.

Max pulled off of the road before it curved sharply to the left.

"I think this is as close as we're going to get," Max said.

They stepped out of the car. Wind howled around them and the tree branches above swayed dangerously. Max grabbed Chloe's hand and they rushed into the woods.

"Do you know where you're going?" Chloe shouted.

"Generally speaking," Max shouted back.

A few moments later, Max caught sight of an animal in the distance.

"Hey, do you see that?" Chloe said.

"Yeah," Max said.

They ran towards it. Sure enough, it was the ghostly doe.

As they approached, it turned and trotted away. They followed and it matched their pace. Rain began to fall, driven at an angle by the wind. Max held her arm up to shield her eyes, panting as she ran and squeezing Chloe's hand. Bright flashes began to light the sky above, followed by the boom of thunder.

_ I really hope we don't run right into a wall of lightning _ , Max thought grimly.

"How much farther?" Chloe said, "I'm not...exactly...a distance runner."

"On those...freakishly long legs?" Max said back, "you're...better off...than me!"

"You mean...on your freakishly sexy legs?" Chloe said.

"If we...run into that storm...and die...that's kind of...a lame...last thing to hear," Max said, her feet pounding against the damp ground.

"Okay...then how about...your taste in music is questionable...ditto fashion...but I love you," Chloe said.

"I'll take it," Max said, "and I...love you too."

They ran in silence, following the doe.

The wind and rain grew more intense and the temperature around them rose, quickly becoming unnaturally warm for October.

Suddenly, the doe stopped out in front of them and Max halted; Chloe ran into Max's back and they both nearly toppled to the ground.

"Max!" Chloe shouted, "a little warning next time!"

"Tell  _ her  _ that!" Max said, gesturing to the doe.

"Er... _ Rachel _ ! A little warning next time!" Chloe said.

The doe blinked at them and then walked slowly away, fading and vanishing.

"Come on," Max said over the growing thunder, "I recognize this area."

Max led Chloe up the ridge in front of them and out to where the trees thinned. They stopped at the edge of the treeline, staring out.

"Fuck," Chloe said, her eyes wide.

Max merely nodded in agreement.

In front of them, a treeless triangle of land ended at cliffs that dropped vertically away. And beyond that, above the roiling ocean, a mass of dark clouds crawled slowly towards the bay with a forest of pink-hued lightning flashing beneath.

"Look," Chloe said, pointing.

There, in the middle of the clearing, stood the Tobanga, dark and foreboding.

Max squeezed Chloe's hand and they started towards the totem pole, catching their breath as they walked.

As they drew closer, the sounds of thunder and wind seemed to die down. The rain seemed to sting less...and then not at all. Around the Tobanga was a space of eerie calm and quiet. Max and Chloe stopped a few steps away and Max looked up at the Tobanga; as usual, she felt uneasy staring at it.

"Don't touch it," Max said.

"No kidding," Chloe said, frowning, "why is it so...quiet now?" She looked out at the raging storm.

"The Tobanga is a mysterious thing," Max said, her eyes still glued to the topmost totem.

"Fucking annoying is what it is," Chloe said, shaking water out of her hair and glancing around, "hey, let's go to the other side, keep this thing between us and whatever douchebags come out of the forest."

Chloe pulled on Max's hand and they circled around to the other side.

"What now?" Chloe said.

"I guess we wait," Max said.

The stood in silence, hand in hand. Chloe tapped her foot and frequently leaned out to look around the Tobanga at the treeline. Max glanced over at the storm every few moments, watching as it inched closer, its volume rising even under the strange dampening effect of the Tobanga. And every time she looked, an unformed thought tugged at her mind.

She finally glanced over at Chloe and another of Rachel's requests, buried beneath the frenzy to stop Prescott, floated to the surface of her mind.

"Chloe?" Max said, drawing Chloe's gaze, "um...Rachel also had another message for you...and since I'm not sure how this is going to turn out, I'd better give it to you now."

"Okay," Chloe said, tilting her head.

Max stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Chloe, squeezing her tight. Whatever piece or echo or reflection of Rachel there might be in Max, she tried to put it into that hug.

When she stepped back, she gazed up at Chloe's face, damp from rain and tears.

"This too," Max said, grabbing Chloe's hands and standing on her tiptoes.

She kissed Chloe...and she tried to do it how she'd imagine Rachel kissing: confident but coy, loving but...a little aloof.

_ Should I feel weird about this?  _ Max thought,  _ kissing Chloe as if I'm someone else? _

She began to back away but Chloe grasped Max's hands tightly and she held on, pressing her lips onto Chloe's.

Chloe's grip slackened and Max fell back onto her heels.

"I...thanks, Max," Chloe said, her voice strained, "that...I'm not sure I can explain it but...that...it felt like I finally got to say goodbye."

Chloe stepped into Max's arms and Max held her, stroking her hair.

"I'm so glad you're here, Max," Chloe said, "everything...went  _ so _ wrong. But you...you've brought it back. The good stuff."

"Chloe, I love you...and we're going to make everything right," Max said, "we owe it to Rachel and we owe it to ourselves."

Something about saying that left a twinge in Max's heart and she couldn't quite trace it.

_ There's something I'm missing _ , Max thought as Chloe stepped back.

"Max!" Chloe shouted suddenly.

Max jerked her head up to see Chloe's eyes wide, staring back the way they'd come. She started turning to see what Chloe was looking at...and a loud crack sounded over the thunder. Max jumped and finished spinning around to see two men, clad in black, pointing guns at her.

They both had confused and frustrated expressions on their faces and their hands were twitching. Max furrowed her brow and opened her mouth before noticing something in front of her. She leaned forward and saw, hovering in the air, a small piece of metal. She looked closer and then quickly stepped back: it was a bullet.

"Chloe…," Max said, turning to see Chloe with her arm stretched out, her mouth open in shock.

Max looked between Chloe, the bullet, and the men.

"Max?...I...I…," Chloe started.

The two men tossed their guns aside and sped towards them; Max quickly grabbed Chloe's arm and rewound. She went past the point where ghostly images of the men disappeared backwards into the trees and continued until her and Chloe's images also vanished into the trees. She stopped and turned to Chloe.

"Chloe? What just happened?" Max said.

"I...I don't know," Chloe said, "I saw them...saw them point their guns at us and I...I just raised my hand. I don't know what made me do it. And I could...feel one of them pull the trigger and then I could...I could  _ feel _ the bullet heading towards you and...and I...I  _ stopped _ it."

She stared at her hands.

"And," she continued, "and then I held their triggers out. I...holy shit...Max? I think...I think I can…"

She spun around, scanning the ground while Max simply stared, open-mouthed.

"There!" Chloe said, pointing to a branch on the ground.

She held out her hand and the branch rose off of the ground, hovering in the air.

"Dude...I...holy  _ fuck _ , no way!" Chloe said, laughing and moving her hand back and forth; the branch twisted around in the air.

Chloe swung her hand to the side and the branch flew off of the cliff.

"Max!" Chloe said, "I can fucking...move things with my mind! I can fucking  _ move things with my mind _ ! Fucking...holy shit...I can't even believe this," she put her hands on her head, "do you know how awesome this is?"

Max's open-mouthed surprise turned into a lopsided smile and she said, "I...think I have some idea."

Then her mind caught up with what just happened.

"Chloe?" Max said.

"Yeah?" Chloe said, flicking her hand to levitate pebbles and toss them off of the cliff, each one glowing pink from the lightning before falling out of view.

"You just saved my life," Max said.

"Wait, what are...oh shit, you're right," Chloe said, turning to Max.

A wide smile lit Chloe's face and she stepped forward, putting her hands on Max's shoulders.

"I saved your life! I can  _ totally  _ be your bodyguard now...for  _ real _ ," Chloe said, "No one messes with Max or I'll fling those motherfuckers off of a cliff."

She swept her arms out and an avalanche of pebbles and rocks cascaded off of the cliffsides.

Max's eyes widened and Chloe cringed.

"Oops," she said.

Max laughed.

"I guess you don't know your own strength," Max said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Chloe said, "bet it's this bracelet thing."

"Oh right," Max said as Chloe kicked her ankle out, "you can probably do some crazy awesome stuff...I...wowser...I can't even believe this...this is  _ so _ amazing. You have a superpower!"

Max grinned.

Chloe grinned back and said, "I know...this is... _ so _ hella sweet. So fucking awesome. And...well...I feel like this puts our relationship at a whole new...level," Chloe said, reaching an arm out.

"Huh?" Max said...and then she felt herself being gently lifted into the air.

"Oh no," Max said, "why do I have the feeling that you're going to abuse your power?"

"Because I  _ am _ going to abuse my power," Chloe said, "but only in cases where it's awesome."

"This is the kind of conflict that only escalates," Max said, chuckling.

"Maybe," Chloe said, lowering Max back to the ground.

"Because," Max said, "you never know…"

She brought time to a standstill and strolled over to stand right behind Chloe before allowing time to resume.

"...when I might sneak up on you."

Chloe jumped with a yell and spun around, grabbing Max's shoulders.

"Somehow I think this little conflict might end up being hella fun," Chloe said, planting a kiss on Max's lips.

They broke apart and Max said, "well, we'd better deal with our most pressing issues first." She pointed at the treeline.

"Oh right," Chloe said, "goons incoming..."

"Yep," Max said.

"And now Chloe Price is in the superpower business too," Chloe said, webbing her fingers together and cracking her knuckles.

"Eww, I hate that," Max said, shuddering.

Chloe chuckled.

"Okay," Max continued, "there's nowhere to hide up here so when the goons appear, I need you to stop their bullets or yank their guns or something long enough to get them to come closer so that there's some space behind them...then I'll freeze time and use the tranq gun."

"Sounds good," Chloe said.

Max pulled the tranquilizer gun out of her bag and they waited, watching the treeline, lit by the ceaseless lightning behind them.

"You know," Chloe said, "this opens up some new possibilities."

"Professionally? Artistically?" Max said.

"Sexually," Chloe said.

"Ah yes, one-track-mind Chloe on the high speed train to Dorkville," Max said.

"Hey, Dorkville is awesome," Chloe said, "you  _ know _ that you're a frequent visitor there."

"More and more, it seems. Okay, I'll bite...what possibilities do you speak of?" Max said.

"So, name a famous place," Chloe said.

"The moon," Max said.

"A place on Earth," Chloe said.

"Tyrell Corporation headquarters," Max said.

"A  _ real _ place on Earth," Chloe said.

"I feel like you're stifling my creativity," Max said.

"Oh don't worry, I'll let you be creative in other ways," Chloe said.

"Okay fine, the Space Needle," Max said.

"Oh...tricky...um...are there any large public spaces there?" Chloe said.

"Oh no...where is this going?" Max said.

"Okay, get this: we can go to a big public space...you can stop time and I can take us up to the ceiling and we can totally do it...no one would  _ ever _ know," Chloe said.

"Er...I hate to burst your bubble but I think one or both of us might, you know, lose the concentration necessary to maintain that particular trick when we're, well, doing it," Max said.

Chloe thought for a moment and said, "damn, you're right...spoil sport."

"It's okay, I'm sure we can come up with plenty of other creative things to do," Max said, "for instance, you can lift me up to places to get some amazing shots."

"Oh yeah," Chloe said, her eyes widening, "that would be awesome...and I could lift us up to roofs and the top of the lighthouse. We can go  _ anywhere  _ and you can get shots of  _ anything _ ."

"We could even build a pirate fort that  _ no one else _ could get to," Max said, smiling at the thought of a truly private retreat from the world...for just her and Chloe.

"Yes:  _ that _ ...such a hella good idea. And dude, we could also pull some epic pranks," Chloe said, "we could…"

"Chloe, look," Max said, pointing.

Two figures stepped out of the trees and headed straight towards them.

"Alright, let's kick these guys' asses," Chloe said.

The two men spotted them and raised their weapons, jogging towards them. Max stayed close to Chloe, gripping the tranquilizer gun. When they were close enough for Max to make out their facial features, a bright flash emerged from the gun on the left, followed immediately by a sharp popping sound that stabbed through the sea of thunder around them. But Chloe already had her arm out...Max squinted and saw the bullet hovering in the air before it dropped limply to the ground. The men strode closer and both fired their guns; again, Chloe stopped the bullets and they fell to the ground.

"Dude, this is so fucking amazing!" Chloe said, grinning.

The two men continued moving towards them, glancing at one another.

"Okay," Max said, "my turn."

"Have fun," Chloe said.

Max reached out and stopped time. She stepped forward, feeling a gentle pull back to where she'd been. She glanced up at Chloe, frozen with an expression of amused concentration on her face, her hand held out towards the men.

Max walked quickly forward between the two men. Behind each of them, she pulled the trigger of the tranquilizer gun twice, leaving a pair of "MC" labelled darts hovering inches from their necks. She nodded to herself and resumed time.

She immediately found herself back next to Chloe and the two men in front of them stopped in their tracks, their suddenly confused expressions turning blank as they both fell to the ground.

"Welp," Chloe said, "I'm kinda wondering if you even needed me for that."

"You know, now that I think of it, I guess either one of us could have done it alone," Max said, shrugging.

"But…," Chloe said, grinning.

Max sighed and said, "but it's much better to do it together."

"Oh, yes it is," Chloe said, chuckling and holding out her fist. Max smiled and obliged her with a fist bump.

"I wonder where Prescott is," Max said, her gaze drawn back out to the storm.

"Speak of the devil," Chloe said, her eyes narrowed.

Max turned back to the forest to see a single figure emerging from the trees. It was, unmistakably, Sean Prescott. Max tilted her head.

_ He looks ridiculous _ , she thought.

Prescott wore what was undoubtedly a very expensive suit, soaked through with rain and covered in pine needles. His sandy hair was plastered to his forehead from the rain and he squinted behind his glasses, clearly adjusting to the bright lightning in the bay. He strode forward slowly, a large weapon in his hands.

Max's eyes widened.

"Chloe?" she said.

"That's some automatic shit right there," Chloe said, "not one hundred percent sure I can stop the bullets from  _ that _ ."

Max nodded and was about to reach out to rewind.

"But," Chloe continued, "I can do something else instead."

She held out her hand and Max did too, ready to rewind.

Prescott's gaze finally fell upon them...and the two goons facedown nearby.

"No!" he shouted, raising the weapon to his shoulder.

Chloe squinted and closed her fist, yanking her arm back. The weapon flew out of Prescott's grip and arced over to land in Chloe's arms.

"Fuckin'  _ sweet _ ," Chloe said.

Prescott stood motionless, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open. Chloe grinned at him and Max kept her arm partially raised.

Prescott's eyes darted between them and the Tobanga...and then he broke into a run straight towards the totem pole.

"Ha, no you don't," Chloe said, throwing the large gun aside and lifting her arms.

With a yell, Prescott rose into the air, his limbs flailing. For a brief moment, a triumphant smile lit his face...but it quickly fell into an expression of horror.

"No," he shouted over the storm, "not possible. This can't be happening." He stretched an arm out towards the Tobanga...but it was still far out of reach.

"Chloe Price has a super power now, douchebag," Chloe said, twirling her hand and making Prescott flip end over end in the air.

"Not possible," Prescott wailed.

"Sorry, Mr. Prescott, but it turns out that you're not as informed about things as you thought you were," Max said, stepping around the Tobanga.

Prescott glared at Max before Chloe flipped him over again.

"In the end, Rachel was one step ahead of you," Max said.

When Chloe rotated Prescott to face Max again, his eyes were bulging and his face contorted in confused rage.

"What? Rachel? What do you mean?" he said.

"Sorry, not going to explain," Max said, "but I'm sure you'll have a long time to think about it. You can talk it over with Jefferson...maybe they'll let you share a cell. Just know that you'll  _ never  _ get what you want...and  _ that _ is Rachel's revenge, asshole."

She carefully pulled a "CP" labelled dart out of her bag. She stood on her tiptoes under Prescott and Chloe lowered him down. He snapped his arms out towards Max.

"Don't you fucking  _ dare _ ," Chloe said, practically cackling as she curled her fingers, causing Prescott's arms to bend behind his back.

He cried out in pain and Max jabbed the dart into his neck. His cries died away and he passed out.

"You really think he'll go to jail?" Chloe said, dropping Prescott to the ground with a thud, "don't rich people normally get out of it?"

"Not this time, I don't think," Max said, "with us and everything that's happened, I imagine we have enough dirt to get him locked up. Between the kidnapping, attempted murder, accessory to murder, and whatever other shit he's been up to? He's going down."

Chloe walked over and kicked Prescott in the side; Max winced.

"Sorry," Chloe said, "needed to express myself."

With Prescott and his goons knocked out in front of them, Max looked out to the water, where the massive storm was now inching into the bay.

_ Now what? _ Max thought, feeling a rising panic,  _ we did what Rachel asked us to do...but it's not over...that storm is still coming...we were so focused on stopping Prescott... _

"Hey, Max? You okay?" Chloe said.

Max continued to stare out at the storm.

_ And this storm...it's  _ my  _ storm _ , she thought, recalling Rachel's words,  _ I'm the one who created it...and because I created it,  _ I'm  _ the one sustaining it _ .

She began walking away from the Tobanga and towards the cliff. As she drew further away, the sounds of the storm increased, the rolling thunder shaking her body. The rain, which had been like a mist next to the Tobagna, drove harder and harder, stinging her skin.

_ After Rachel was stabbed...and nearly dead in the hospital, her forest fire went out _ , Max thought,  _ I wonder if she  _ did  _ die then...if only for a few moments _ .

"Max?" Chloe called out from behind.

Max neared the edge of the cliff and looked down. She watched as waves crashed up against the side of the cliff below, lit a haunting pink by the lightning.

_ And when Chloe died in the bathroom, it stopped her tornado from ever happening _ , Max thought.

A lump rose in her throat.

_ Rachel was ready and willing to die for the people she loved...and she did _ , Max thought, turning around to face Chloe, who stood several paces away, the Tobanga behind her. She stared at Max, her face worried.

_ And Chloe...she asked me to go back...to let her die...she was ready and willing to die too...to save everyone in the town _ , Max thought.

She glanced over towards Arcadia Bay, it's lights dim and feeble in the face of the ferocious storm.

_ As long as I'm here, that storm keeps going,  _ Max thought, biting her lip,  _ as long as I'm here, the entire town gets blasted to pieces...and maybe Chloe does too. I can't let that happen...I just  _ can't _...Rachel made this decision, Chloe made this decision, and now I have to follow...because there's only one way to be sure. _

She took a deep breath and glanced behind her to the water below.

_ I wonder if it will hurt _ , Max thought.

"Max!" Chloe shouted, stepping forward, "what are you doing?"

"Stop," Max shouted back.

Chloe took a few more steps and then stopped, her eyes wide.

"Max, what's going on?" she said. Max could barely hear her.

"Chloe...I...I have to go," Max said.

"What do you mean?" Chloe said, "go where?"

"The storm," Max said, "it's mine. It's  _ my  _ storm. As...as long as I'm here, it keeps going."

"Max, that doesn't make any sense!" Chloe said. She took a step forward and Max took a step back towards the edge. Chloe came to a lurching halt.

"Rachel explained it," Max said, "the fire...the forest fire that she started...that was  _ her _ storm. And it stopped when she nearly died."

"But what about the tornado? Didn't you make that too?" Chloe said, her eyes darting between Max and the storm.

"No," Max said, "that was yours. It was  _ your  _ storm, Chloe. It...you triggered it after running out of the bathroom."

Max could tell that something about that clicked for Chloe; she squeezed her eyes shut and her head tilted down. But then her head snapped back up and her eyes opened.

"But wait," she said, "that storm kept coming...even when I died! It doesn't work like that, Max.  _ Please _ ...it...it  _ can't _ work like that."

Max shook her head, "that tornado kept coming because of what  _ I _ was doing...all of my rewinding was creating all kinds of temporary timelines. The tornado was feeding off of the  _ possibility  _ that you were alive."

"But then that would happen here too," Chloe shouted, tears mingling with rain on her face, "the possibility...you…"

"Chloe,  _ I'm _ the source of the changes to the timeline," Max said, "once I...once I go, there are no more possibilities."

"No, Max...no," Chloe said, " _ please _ no."

"I'm so, so sorry, Chloe," Max said, tears streaming down her face, "I'm so sorry...I love you so much. I don't want to do this...but I can't let that storm keep going. It could kill you too. It's...look at it."

She turned and they watched as a bolt of lightning struck the cliff beneath the lighthouse on the other side of the bay. Chunks of rock, big enough to see from so far away, flew out in all directions.

Max turned back to Chloe and she thought of Kate and Warren...Joyce and David. She wondered if any of them were huddled together in the Two Whales...if people were taking refuge there like last time.

"I have to do it," Max said, her voice strained.

"No, Max...please," Chloe said. She took another step forward and Max stepped back again. She felt a swooping sensation in her stomach. It felt like her body was beginning to comprehend what she planned and was starting to rebel against her.

"Good bye, Chloe...I love you so much," Max said, tears slowly running down her face.

She thought of the waves and rocks below. Terror seized her heart in a tight grip...but she took a deep breath and, thinking of all of her friends...and Chloe, she reached a serene calm. She closed her eyes and willed herself to turn around...to take the leap.

But she couldn't.

She opened her eyes...she couldn't move: her arms were locked to her sides and her feet wouldn't turn.

She looked up, her eyes wide, to see Chloe's arms stretched out.

"I won't let you do it, Max," Chloe said, "I won't...I'm not letting you go."

"But...I have to do this," Max said, trying to move her arms, "I have to."

"No, you don't," Chloe said, "you promised me that we'd always be together, Max. Don't go back on that now. Don't give up. I'm holding you...I'm supposed to hold you."

"No...I...what are you talking about?" Max said, stopping her struggle to free herself.

"My dad...and Rachel...in the dream," Chloe said, "they told me to hold you. I didn't know what it meant. But...you were there in the dream...by a cliff...and they said to hold you...to not let you go. And I won't. I won't let you go, Max. They said I need you...they said you need me. They...they said it takes two to share love, Max...and I love you; I never want to lose this...and...and they said it takes two to keep a storm going. They...they wouldn't have told me that unless it  _ meant _ something, Max. So I'm...I'm going to hold you," she sobbed and continued, "because if you go over that cliff, I'm coming right after you."

"Chloe, no...I…," Max started and then stopped.

_ It takes two to keep a storm going _ , Max thought,  _ two to keep a storm going? Why...why would they say that in Chloe's dream? It can't be a coincidence...Chloe's right: it  _ must  _ mean something. But two...to keep a storm going...that doesn't make sense. It didn't take  _ both  _ Rachel and Chloe to keep that fire going. It didn't seem to take  _ both  _ Chloe and I to keep the tornado going, did it? No...that can't be it...but then who… _

She looked past Chloe to the Tobanga, standing dark and inscrutable.

She remembered Rachel, sitting in Chloe's chair, saying, "the Tobanga is the key to it all."

And then she remembered one line, burned into one of the mysterious letters they'd found in the old cabin:

> **...in their hubris they made what destroyed them.**

_It takes two...it was in Prescott's notes too...he assumed it meant two_ people _. But it didn't say that. It just said two. And the Tobanga...it's the one that gathers power from the storm_ , Max thought, _but what if that's not all it does? Maybe the people who made it never_ intended _for there to be storms...but the Tobanga brought them...and sustained them. That must be it...that's what fits...the last_ _piece,_ her eyes widened, _the Tobanga_ is _the key, just in more ways than Rachel meant._

"Chloe," Max called out, "you can let me go."

"Max, if you rewind yourself off that cliff, I'm  _ not  _ fucking kidding...I  _ will  _ jump after you," Chloe said, her voice cracking.

"I know," Max said, "I'm...I'm not going to do it."

Max felt the pressure withdraw from her arms and legs. She immediately ran forward and wrapped Chloe in a hug.

"Chloe, I'm so sorry," she said, her tears mingling with Chloe's, "you're right. There's more to it...I shouldn't have...I almost left you behind again. I'm sorry...I'm so sorry."

"Max," Chloe said, holding her tightly, "don't you  _ ever  _ fucking do that again."

"I promise," Max said, squeezing Chloe, "I promise."

"Now what the hell is going on?" Chloe said, "I'm...so fucking confused."

"Your dream," Max said, stepping back to look up into Chloe's face, "they knew I was going to...going to try to jump...they knew to tell you to hold me. And they told you that it takes two to keep a storm going."

"Fuck...does that mean we both have to go jump?" Chloe said.

"No," Max said, "I think that my storm partner is right over there." She pointed at the Tobanga.

"Prescott?" Chloe said, "sure, I'll knock his ass off the cliff."

"No, the wooden one," Max said.

"The Tobanga? How...oh, wait...dude, it's  _ totally  _ connected to the storms...how did we not think of that earlier?" Chloe said.

"We've...had a lot going on," Max said.

"No fucking kidding," Chloe said, grabbing Max's hand and holding it tight.

They hurried back to the Tobanga. As they walked, Max tried to suppress nervous feelings of nausea...her body was  _ not _ happy over what she'd nearly done; her heart was still beating rapidly and her nerves were on fire with adrenaline. It seemed that her body was telling her exactly what Chloe had: don't you  _ ever  _ fucking do that again. She heartily agreed.

_ Thank you, Rachel...thank you, William...and thank you, Chloe _ , Max thought.

The sounds of the storm faded again as they approached the Tobanga.

" _ Now _ what the fuck do we do?" Chloe said when they stopped in front of the totem pole.

"I...I'm not entirely sure," Max said, "that letter in the cabin seemed to say that the Tobanga is...um...connected to the earth. So maybe if we knock it over, it will be like taking a plug out."

"Er...doesn't it also have some super secret immortality power knocking around in there?" Chloe said.

"Yeah? Maybe?" Max said.

"Well...what if we just took it?" Chloe said, "that might shut the storm down...or if what you said before is right, we'd get some goddamn god powers, right? Then we could just, like, squish the storm."

"I don't know," Max said, shaking her head, "if we knock it over it might do something crazy...like blow up or something...or the storm might just keep going. And if we try to take the power? I don't even know if we could  _ both  _ get it. It...might just be one of us."

She squeezed Chloe's hand.

"I don't like the sound of  _ that _ ...but I trust your judgment on this, Max...as long as it doesn't involve a cliff," Chloe said, wiping her eyes, "you've been...time warping your way all over to find out about this shit. We've gotta checkmate the hell out of this and you're the chess master here."

Max stared at the Tobanga, hoping that it would somehow provide an answer...but it was as silent as ever. She thought back to everything Rachel had said...to everything Prescott had said...to everything she'd read in the letters and notes. Nothing suggested the correct solution...and she wasn't about to risk fucking everything up by photo-jumping back to find out more.

It looked like this was her decision alone.

_ Do I try to take this Tobanga power with Chloe...and risk losing her?  _ Max thought,  _ or do we knock it over and risk "unplugging" the wrong thing? _

She bit her lip and intertwined her fingers with Chloe's, hoping for some inspiration...but receiving none.

Behind them, the storm crept closer to the town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, there are two endings to this story! When I started the story, I hadn't planned for there to be two endings: I was worried that it might've ended up being gimmicky or forced...but as everything developed, it ended up fitting better than a single ending. I'll release both endings one right after the other as the next two chapters. They aren't in any particular order and I personally don't think one is better or more fitting than the other...so it's up to you to decide which one you prefer! That being said, I imagine that Beta Max and her Chloe are faced with the same choice as G-Max and her Chloe...and that one pair would have a leaning towards one and the other to the other...but that's just me.


	29. Ending 1: Knock it Down

Max glanced up at Chloe and and memories of the last few weeks flooded her mind…and if one thing was clear, it was that _everything_ was different now. She was no longer the lonely wallflower, content to just wander with her camera. And against any odds that she would've wagered on, she'd somehow made a family out of her friends. And Chloe was at the center of that; her best friend...her partner.

_There's no way that I'm going to risk getting separated again_ , Max thought, _from what that guy wrote in those letters, it sounded like it took him_ years _to find a way back...I can't have us apart for that long. And...I can't imagine being apart from_ any _of my friends for that long...not anymore._

"Chloe," Max said, "I'm not going to risk losing you...it's us, together, no matter what."

Chloe nodded and squeezed Max's hand.

"I...I don't want to lose you either," she said, "never."

"Max and Chloe, forever," Max said.

Chloe smiled her heart-melting smile.

"Max and Chloe, forever," Chloe said.

She cleared her throat and continued, "so...how the hell do we knock this fucker down and...um...kill _that_?" She gestured to the storm behind them.

"Well...Trevor and Justin somehow got it out of the ground," Max said.

"Yeah, but they probably had help from the entire Stoner Brigade," Chloe said, "there are some pretty ripped guys and gals in that group."

"And 'ripped' is something no one would use to describe either one of _us_ ," Max said.

She frowned, trying to think of some way to knock it over without touching it...

"Um...do we care if we break it?" Chloe said.

"Er...I'm sure anyone interested in historical preservation in Arcadia Bay would care...but breaking it might actually help," Max said, recalling the mysterious Henry's insinuation that he wanted to destroy the Tobanga, "what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I can use my badass powers to knock this fucker over," Chloe said, grinning.

Max's eyes widened.

"Chloe, that thing must weigh...I don't know...hundreds of pounds," Max said, "are you sure you want to try that? I know from experience that pushing your powers can be _really_ unpleasant."

"Headaches and nosebleeds? I can take it," Chloe said, "besides, it's probably better than getting blasted by Max lightning."

Max glanced out to the bay, where lightning blasts were now peppering the sides of the cliffs, showering the water below with chunks of rock.

"Point taken," Max said, "just...if it gets too intense or if something bad happens when you try it, I'll rewind."

"Good idea, cheat code Max," Chloe said, "now...let's topple a Tobanga."

Max took a few steps back.

Chloe rubbed her hands together and faced the totem pole. She squinted, held her arms out, and leaned forward, grunting.

Max jumped as the Tobanga twitched and began rising up. She turned to watch Chloe's face, carefully looking for any signs that the lift was too much. But Chloe seemed to be handling it, her face twisted in concentration but with no sign of pain. Chloe raised her arms and the Tobanga slowly inched out of the ground. A sudden light drew Max's gaze back to the totem pole: the base of the Tobanga glowed an eerie blue.

"Damn...that's some crazy shit," Chloe said, her voice strained.

Max simply stared.

"Um...shouldn't that glow be going away?" Chloe said, "doesn't this...count as unplugging this fucker?"

"I guess not," Max said.

"Well then...I guess it's... _tim-ber_!" Chloe said, shoving her arms forward.

The Tobanga tilted away from them and fell to the ground with a ground-shaking thud.

"Boom, _that's_ how it's done," Chloe said, clapping her hands together.

A loud crack split the still-quiet space around the Tobanga. The ground rumbled and both Max and Chloe took a few steps backwards.

"Whoa," Chloe said.

At the base of the Tobanga, the blue light grew intense and then silently erupted into a hazy cloud that dimmed before drifting away with the breeze. As soon as the haze vanished, the strange bubble of quiet that surrounded the Tobanga evaporated. Max felt her ears pop as the deafening sounds of the storm rushed in. Rain pelted her back and she spun around to look at the storm. She felt Chloe's fingers grasping at hers and grabbed Chloe's hand tightly.

The storm was nearly upon the town; a bolt of pink lightning stabbed out to strike one of the piers where fishing boats bobbed in the distance. The edge of the pier exploded, starting a fire that was quickly smothered by the rain.

Max's heart sank.

_It didn't work_ , Max thought, _it must just be me;_ I _must be the only one keeping it going_.

Her mind spun, trying to think of something...anything that could stop the storm without having to fling herself off of the cliff...and she felt an unpleasant swooping sensation when she thought about _that_ again.

_Wait...I know what to do_ , Max thought, her eyes widening, _we can just rewind to before Chloe knocked it over. Obviously this wasn't the right choice...we'll just have to try taking the power for ourselves...I just hope that_ that _works_.

But just as she was about to turn to Chloe, the volume of the storm seemed to lessen. Max turned her eyes back to the violence in the bay, watching carefully. Was it just her imagination or was the volume of lightning decreasing too? Soon it was obvious: where there had been a forest of lightning there were now only handfuls of strikes. Where there had been a constant roll of thunder there were now distinguishable booms.

Max watched as a bolt of lightning struck another pier...no explosion this time; no fire. Another bolt struck the top of one of the shuttered shipyards...again no explosion or fire.

Soon the lightning faded to just a few scattered flashes; the clouds began to thin and the rain became a light drizzle.

Max felt a tremendous weight lift from her heart, buoyed by a balloon of relief and giddiness. A smile lit her face and she laughed, spinning to Chloe and hugging her tightly.

"We did it! We actually did it!" Max said, "it's...it's over."

"Damn right we fucking did it!" Chloe said, grinning and raising her middle finger to the remains of the storm, "we hella won this, G!"

Max leaned back and looked up into Chloe's eyes.

"Us and Rachel," Max said, "she won this too."

Chloe smiled and closed her eyes...before her smile vanished and she looked warily to the totem pole lying on the ground.

"Are you sure this is all _really_ over?" Chloe said.

Max released Chloe and grabbed her hand. They carefully stepped over to the Tobanga and found a large crack down the middle, very nearly splitting the totem pole in two.

"Damn, Chloe," Max said, "you really know how to break stuff."

"Why thank you, I'm _very_ accomplished at smashing and breaking shit" Chloe said, bowing, "and...um...you think I should shove it off the cliff for good measure?"

Max scratched her head and said, "no, I don't think it'll be giving us any more problems. I always used to feel...uneasy looking at this thing and now I don't feel anything. I think it's well and truly dead...and if everything I found out is right, that means no more storms."

"Awesome," Chloe said, "hella fucking awesome. Now let's get the hell out of here...we're soaked and it's getting chilly again."

Max shivered a little, drawing her hoodie closer around her shoulders.

"You're right," Max said, "let's…"

"No…," a voice mumbled from the ground behind them.

They spun around, arms raised...but found no threat: it was only Sean Prescott stirring feebly on the ground. They walked over to him.

"No," he mumbled again, "no."

Max looked over at Chloe, who grinned.

"Oh yes, Seany boy," Chloe said, striding closer and standing above Prescott, her arms crossed, "guess who's hella fucked."

Prescott groaned.

"Wrong answer, dipshit," Chloe said, swinging her foot back. She caught Max's wide-eyed look and sighed, lowering her foot to the ground, "okay, fine. Look, asshole, you're lucky as fuck that Max here is such a nice person...otherwise I'd be beating your ass."

"What...what did you do?" Prescott said.

Max stepped over.

"We knocked over the Tobanga...it's broken," Max said, "it's all over...the storm is gone and so is the power. And there won't be any more storms...ever."

"No," Prescott said, trying to lift himself from the ground but collapsing back down into the mud.

"Sorry, buddy," Chloe said, "you fucked up real bad. You never should've fucked with Rachel, you never should've fucked with me, and you never should've fucked with Max. And now your rich, douchebag ass is going to rot in prison."

"You...you...," Prescott started.

"No, Mr. Prescott," Max said, "I think we've had enough of listening to you. We'll send the police to come pick you up."

She pulled a "CP" labelled dart out of her bag and jabbed it into Prescott's neck. He quickly went limp.

"Just going to leave him here?" Chloe said.

Max nodded and said, "yeah...Prescott or one of his goons must have a phone. We can call David and get the wheels turning on this. And you're right, we should get indoors and get dry clothes."

"Will you let me undress you?" Chloe said as Max pulled a phone out of Prescott's suit pocket.

Max chuckled and said, "sure...as long as you'll let me undress you."

"Deal," Chloe said.

She began to walk towards the woods but Max paused.

"Hold on," she said.

She walked over to the cliff and Chloe followed.

"Er...hope you're not thinking of jumping again," Chloe said.

"No," Max said, feeling another unpleasant twinge at that memory.

She stood near the edge; Chloe stepped up next to her and Max held her hand. They looked out over the calm bay and at the town, where lights glittered and cars and emergency vehicles moved about...Max imagined that everyone down there was shocked and relieved, having found sudden relief from disaster.

Movement off to the side caught her eye and she turned, with Chloe following her gaze. The ghostly doe stood near the trees, looking over at them. Max smiled and Chloe grinned. The doe lingered for a few moments and Max could have sworn that it tilted its head at them before turning and fading away.

Max squeezed Chloe's hand and they turned away from the cliff, walking back towards the woods silently under the clear night sky.

**. . . . .**

"Dude, I can't believe how much fucking questioning we've had to sit through," Chloe said, tilting her head back to stare up at the wispy clouds floating by above the lighthouse.

Max groaned and leaned over, adjusting the scarf around her neck and resting her head on Chloe's shoulder.

" _And_ all of the paperwork," Max said, flexing her hand, "and now that we're through with the police and lawyers, you _know_ that Juliet will be hunting us down."

"Ha, no kidding," Chloe said, "I bet the entire next issue of the Totem will be about us. You know she's going to want to get stories on _everything_ : Nathan shooting me...the stuff with the PIs...our sex lives...and of course all the Prescott stuff as the big headline."

"And how many times will I have to rewind in our interviews with her?" Max said, smiling and playfully nudging Chloe's arm.

"Hey! I only messed up a couple of times," Chloe said.

"You made all of the detective's pencils fly up into the ceiling!" Max said.

"Well...that's why I insisted we be interviewed together," Chloe said.

"Wait, you mean it _wasn't_ because you were traumatized and needed your girlfriend by your side?" Max said, her mouth open in mock surprise.

"Dude, you _know_ that explanation was bullshit," Chloe said.

"Yeah, and they all bought it," Max said, rolling her eyes, "although David seemed to have some doubt."

"One unfortunate side effect of being on good terms with him...he can kind of see past my bullshit," Chloe said.

"I mean, you _are_ kind of an open book," Max said, "I was surprised everyone _else_ bought it."

"Okay fine, point taken," Chloe said.

"And David really did hero up, didn't he?" Max said.

"Yeah, holy crap," Chloe said, "he just, like, went everywhere we told him, dragging Strawberry and the other cops behind him like a gaggle of puppies."

"I think the correct term is _litter_ of puppies," Max said.

"Better be careful, G," Chloe said.

Max felt herself pushed away from Chloe's shoulder and up off of the bench.

"Hey!" she said, "I was comfortable there!"

"Oh, I'll bring you back," Chloe said.

Max pursed her lips to the side as Chloe twisted her in the air. Max tried to glare at Chloe but Chloe's mischievous grin made Max laugh instead.

"I'm liking this...really liking this," Chloe said.

"Now Chloe, remember that you're not the only one with mad skills," Max said before stopping time.

She drifted slowly to the ground and maneuvered around Chloe's outstretched arms. Carefully making sure not to touch Chloe, Max climbed onto the bench and perched so that her face was inches from Chloe's before releasing time.

Chloe could barely register surprise before Max leaned in to kiss her.

Chloe jumped and yelped into the kiss. Max laughed and broke away.

"You are _so_ evil," Chloe said. She wrapped her arms around Max and pulled her close for another kiss.

After breaking away and staring into Chloe's eyes for a few quiet moments, Max collapsed back onto the bench.

"What now?" Max said.

"Now we have the world to conquer, Max Caulfield," Chloe said spreading her arms across the back of the bench.

"I like that idea, Chloe Price," Max said, "but where do we start?"

"Well, we had our second hot tub party already," Chloe said.

"Again, first one for _me_ ," Max said.

"Oh, trust me, this one was more fun," Chloe said, causing Max to blush.

The previous night had been _very_ fun...and with both of their powers, breaking in and out of Nathan's apartment under the Prescott house had been easy.

"So," Chloe continued, "Blackwell pool?"

"You know," Max said, "I'm beginning to think that we should get a submarine instead of an RV."

"Dude...an RV that _converts_ into a sub," Chloe said, her eyes wide.

"I...don't think that exists," Max said.

"Max, you and I have mad awesome superpowers. We've...um...vanquished our greatest foe, we're totally ruling at this girlfriends thing, and we're, just, rocking life right now. With all of that, _anything_ is possible," Chloe said.

"Okay," Max said, chuckling, "we'll put submarine-RV on the list. And as for what to do in the near future...I just _know_ , that since the storm happened, Warren and Brooke are going to be hunting me down."

"You going to tell them?" Chloe said.

Max nodded and said, "and Kate...eventually."

"Anyone else?" Chloe said.

"Er...probably not," Max said, "there are going to be plenty of journalists and scientists swarming over Arcadia Bay for a while and we're already kind of in the middle of it...so we're going to get a _lot_ more questions...I'd prefer to keep our most badass secret out of the press and journals."

"Totally agree," Chloe said, "and _please_ let me be there when you tell Warren, Brooke, and Kate. I hella want to see their faces."

Max chuckled and said, "oh, I will, I promise. Besides, it'll probably be way easier to convince them with _your_ power."

Chloe grinned and said, "you mean, if your little prediction stunt doesn't work, I can just put them on the ceiling?"

Max laughed and said, "maybe start with something a little smaller than that."

"And if that doesn't work?" Chloe said.

Max looked at her with narrowed eyes and a sly smile, "then put them on the ceiling."

"Devious...I love it," Chloe said, "how do you think they'll react?"

Max furrowed her brow and said, "er...when I told Warren and Kate the first time, we were so focused on figuring out how to save you that I'm not sure they really had time to process it...and I never told Brooke...so I'm not sure. My guess? I think Warren and Brooke will be shocked and...probably pretty amazed...and they'll want to do all kinds of experiments."

"I bet they're already _experimenting_ , if you know what I mean," Chloe said.

"After spending this much time around you again? Of _course_ I know what you mean," Max said, rolling her eyes.

Chloe laughed...and then her expression became concerned, "um...do you think they might get...um...jealous?"

"Maybe a little," Max said, "but I think they'll be more fascinated...and they'll really want to see what we can do. But if things _do_ go sour in some way, we can just hit the rewind button."

"True dat," Chloe said, "and what about Kate?"

"Not sure about her either...she was definitely starting to do some serious soul-searching after I told her the first time...trying to fit this in with what she believes. Similar, I guess...in a way, to what Warren was struggling with. This will be a pretty big shock for all three of their worldviews," Max said, absentmindedly running her fingers along Chloe's leg.

"You know, I think they'll get through it," Chloe said, "they're all hella smart and hella awesome. And they have us."

"Yeah," Max said, smiling.

"So...you wanna go do that now?" Chloe said.

"Nah, I'd say we avoid the rest of humanity for a little bit, hang out at the pirate fort, break into the Blackwell pool, and then figure out what to do tomorrow when tomorrow comes. I don't know about you, but even with all of the attention and activity lately, I feel as free as when we were kids...but with _so_ much more that we can do," Max said.

"Yeah, me too," Chloe said, leaning her head against Max's and twirling a beer bottle in the air with her power.

"Do you...ever think about how strange all of this has been?" Max said.

Chloe snorted and said, "every few seconds...hella stranger than anything I could've imagined."

"Yeah," Max said, "hella strange...and finally in a good way."

" _So_ good," Chloe said.

Max twisted to look into Chloe's eyes.

"I love you, Chloe," Max said.

"I love you too, Max," Chloe said, "my partner in time."

"You are too much," Max said.

"Yep yep," Chloe said, "so...ready for the next adventures?"

"Let's sit here for a little longer," Max said, "and then off to adventure."

Chloe smiled and shuffled closer to Max.

They sat quietly with their heads together, staring out at the ocean.


	30. Ending 2: With Great Power

Max bit her lip and felt a nervous tingle as she made her decision.

"Chloe," Max said, looking up and meeting Chloe's eyes, "I don't think we can risk Prescott getting this power. We don't know _everything_ about what's going on here...and he might have some other trick up his sleeve. And if he does get that power somehow, we have no idea what he'll be able to do with it...but I'm sure it would be bad for us."

Chloe frowned.

"Shit, I think you're right," she said, "that douchebag would probably kill us with lightning or some shit. You know, like that." She gestured to the storm raging behind them.

Max nodded and said, "we have to take it for ourselves...and if it's anything like what Prescott seemed to think it is, we _should_ be able to stop that storm."

They stared at each other for a moment before Chloe cleared her throat.

"And...what happens if...if only one of us gets it?" Chloe said.

Max looked to the ground; she noticed that Chloe was fidgeting.

"I...don't know," Max said, looking at Chloe again, "I...I don't want to lose you, Chloe. Not again. Maybe...maybe if it's only one of us, we can give it to the other? I don't know." She shook her head.

"Then promise me this, Max," Chloe said, stepping forward and resting her hands on Max's shoulders, "if you get it and I don't, _please_ don't leave me. Find _some_ way to talk to me. To be with me."

Max looked into Chloe's eyes.

"I promise, Chloe," Max said, "of _course_ I promise that. If it's just me, I'll send you those freaky letters every day and I'll never stop working to be with you again. And...and if it's you...promise me the same."

"No shit, Max," Chloe said, wrapping her arms around Max's shoulders and pulling her close, "I'll fucking tear shit up to get back to you."

Max closed her eyes and held Chloe tightly.

The muffled sound of the storm made the moment feel almost peaceful...as did the gentle mist falling around them. But Max could feel rumblings beneath her feet...the echoes of the storm's assault upon the bay. She never wanted to leave Chloe's arms...but she knew that they couldn't stay like this forever.

She pulled away from Chloe and said, "we'd better do this before that storm starts blowing up the town."

Chloe wiped her eyes.

"Okay, Super Max," Chloe said, her voice strained, "lead on."

They turned to the Tobanga and Max felt the now-familiar sense of unease as she laid eyes upon it.

_Fuck you_ , Max thought, glaring at the topmost totem.

They stepped towards it and squatted down next to the totem at the bottom; heat seemed to radiate from its surface.

"How do we do this?" Chloe said.

"Give me your hand," Max said.

Max interlaced her fingers with Chloe's.

"We'll touch it together," Max said.

Chloe nodded.

"Max, do you...do you know what it'll be like? Do you know where we're going?" Chloe said.

"I'm not sure," Max said, feeling an intense sensation of butterflies in her stomach, "I guess it's...somewhere else. But the guy from the letters seemed to be fine...and Prescott was so eager to get this that he was willing to spend tens of millions of dollars...and commit all kinds of crimes. So...I'm guessing it must not be so bad."

Chloe squeezed Max's hand.

"Okay," Chloe said, breathing out, "worst case: it's one last adventure together."

Max managed a smile.

"Ready?" Max said.

Chloe nodded.

They both leaned forward and Max pulled their hands close to the base of the Tobanga. With their fingers barely an inch from the warm wooden surface, Max turned to Chloe.

"I love you, Chloe," she said.

"I love you too, Max," Chloe said.

Max took a deep breath and pulled their hands to meet the surface of the Tobanga.

As soon as their fingers met the wood, the air around them became very still; the sounds of the storm faded completely and the misting rain around them froze in place. The Tobanga's surface seemed to vibrate, a deep thrumming that Max could feel in her bones. Several seconds passed and nothing else seemed to be happening.

_Is there something else we have to do?_ Max thought.

"Er," Chloe said, "don't you think something should…"

Light burst from the base of the Tobanga, a blinding flash that had Max and Chloe crying out and turning away. Max instinctively tried to withdraw her hand from the Tobanga to shield her eyes...but her hand wouldn't move.

She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the white light that now surrounded them. She glanced over to see Chloe staring back, her eyes wide.

"Dude, what the fuck is going on?" Chloe said, her voice loud in the silence.

"I have no…," Max started before she felt herself lifted off the ground. Her eyebrows shot up and she saw that Chloe also appeared to be floating upwards, her free arm flailing. Their fingers were still interlaced and stuck to what must have been the Tobanga...only Max couldn't see it; everything around them was just white light.

"You know," Chloe said, "I'm _really_ not sure what the hell's happening here...but I think we might've just won."

"It...it kind of feels like it," Max said.

A giddy, tingling sensation spread from her hand up to her head and down to her toes. A smile sprung to her face, a smile that widened when she realized that this must be what was supposed to happen...and that Chloe was here with her.

"Dude," Chloe said, a grin on her face, "I think we did it...and we're _both_ here."

They stared at each other and started to laugh. Each time they looked at one another, they laughed harder and harder, floating away into the white light.

**. . . . .**

A brilliant light flashed around the Tobanga before everything faded again into darkness. The zone of near-silence that had surrounded the Tobanga vanished; the deafening sounds of the storm swept in and rain pounded the ground around the totem pole.

Sean Prescott opened his eyes.

He groaned and tried to push himself off of the ground, managing instead to only roll to the side. He faced the bay and watched as the storm, with its forest of lightning, crept closer to the town. He snorted at it; he didn't care how much damage it would bring...Arcadia Bay needed a good...reset, as far as he was concerned.

Then a bolt of pink lightning flashed into the trees nearby, splitting one of them in two and sending the top half plunging into the bay below. Prescott jumped, adrenaline propelling him up to his knees.

He looked around: the girls were nowhere to be seen and there...there was the Tobanga, standing dark and lonely only a few yards away.

Prescott shuffled towards it, finally managing to stagger to his feet and run the remaining distance, dropping to his knees at its base.

He grinned maniacally as he reached out, his moment of triumph at hand. His hand touched the cold wood and he laughed aloud.

Nothing happened.

He waited.

Still nothing.

The storm raged in the bay, rain pelted him, and he held his hand firmly to the Tobanga.

Still nothing.

He pounded against the Tobanga with his other hand.

"Come on!" he shouted, "this is _mine_ . I deserve this...I need this! I've worked for this for _years_!"

He wiped rain off of his glasses and face, staring at the carvings in front of him. Then his eyes widened.

"No," he said, "no."

He glanced around. No sign of Maxine Caulfield; no sign of Chloe Price. Just as he realized what it must mean...and just as he opened his mouth to scream in rage, a bolt of white lightning blasted from the sky directly onto the Tobanga. A loud crack echoed across the clearing, momentarily drowning out the noise of the storm. The blast flung Prescott away from the Tobanga and he landed several yards away with a thud, winded.

Coughing and spluttering, he stood to see the Tobanga cloven in two.

Behind him, the two mercenaries he'd sent out in front of him earlier began to stir. However, he didn't notice...his gaze was fixed on the smoking ruin of the Tobanga. He fell to his knees, his mouth open in shock.

He then began to mumble and sob, pounding his fists against the ground. He screamed towards the sky and mumbled again, rocking back and forth.

The mercenaries, who had staggered to their feet, stared at Prescott before glancing at one another and shaking their heads. They quietly withdrew and disappeared into the woods.

Prescott sat alone, barely noticing as the storm in the bay calmed and then vanished. The sky cleared and a quiet night sky stared indifferently at the broken man below.

**. . . . .**

At the sound of the doorbell, Joyce halted her pacing and rushed to the door, opening it and pulling the woman on the other side into a hug.

"Vanessa, I'm so sorry," Joyce said, releasing Max's mother and turning to hug Max's father, "Ryan...I wish we were seeing you for _anything_ besides this."

She stepped back, taking in the sleeplessness and lines of worry on their faces; it felt like looking into a mirror.

"Have there been any updates?" Vanessa asked, her voice scratchy.

Joyce ushered them into the house and said, "nothing yet. David's been at the police station all morning. That bastard Prescott's still in hysterics and they can't get anything out of him."

Ryan clenched his fists but said nothing.

"Here," Joyce said, gesturing towards the dining room, "have a seat. I'll get you both some coffee."

Both of the Caulfields managed faint thanks and sat at the table.

Joyce joined them moments later with three mugs; she'd lost count of how many cups she'd had already.

They sat in silence, all of their phones out on the table. Ryan simply stared out the window, his sad eyes glued to the swingset outside. Vanessa poked at her phone; Joyce glanced over to see that Vanessa was scrolling through her messages with Max.

Several minutes later, the front door opened and all three of them jumped.

David walked into the dining room, his expression haggard. His eyebrows rose at the sight of the Caulfields.

Everyone stood and Joyce stepped over to David.

"Vanessa, Ryan, this is my husband, David," she said, "and David, these are Max's parents: Vanessa and Ryan."

"Glad to meet you," David said, his voice cracking as he shook their hands, "I wish it was under better circumstances."

"Has anything new come up?" Ryan asked.

David shook his head and said, "nothing that gets us closer to finding them."

He stepped forward and set a file folder on the table.

"That's a copy of the initial report from the investigation of the scene," David continued, "they found footprints that look like Chloe's and Max's going up there and all around up by that broken totem pole. No footprints leading away."

"Do they...do they think they got caught in that storm?" Vanessa said.

"Doesn't look like any of that lightning struck up there," David said, "except for the pole and a tree nearby."

"And what about...what about the cliff?" Ryan said, his voice quiet.

"One set of footprints got awfully close to the edge," David said, "but those footprints came back. They didn't find any others near the edges."

They all stood silently for a moment.

"Anything else?" Joyce said.

"There's...there's been some weird stuff...besides that storm, that is," David said, his brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?" Vanessa said.

"We've rounded up a bunch of witnesses...they all confirmed that Prescott kidnapped Max and Chloe yesterday and kept them locked in a room until they escaped," David said.

The others nodded; David had sent that information to Joyce earlier and Joyce had sent it along to the Caufields.

"Well, Prescott's butler told some pretty outlandish tales but it turns out that at least one of them, that Prescott tried to gas them all, was true," David said.

Vanessa's hand shot to her mouth and Ryan's eyes went wide.

"But, here's the thing," David said, "the team that went in to investigate...they accidentally turned it on. By all rights they should've died...but for some reason no one's been able to explain, the gas just didn't...go through the pipes."

"And another thing?" David continued, "two of our witnesses, a couple of Prescott's goons, were found in the woods tangled up in branches. Seems they were trying to get out of town and...got stuck. Damndest thing I've ever seen. Wasn't the only one either. Bunch of Prescott's goons...most of our witnesses, actually, all got themselves stuck somehow. One's car died...even though it's perfectly fine; looked at it myself. Another one got locked in a bathroom. And another one got stuck...at the top of a tree."

"You think these have anything to do with Chloe and Max?" Joyce said.

"I don't know," David said, "all this stuff we've been finding...seems like we're in the damn Twilight Zone...or the X-Files."

"So what are the police doing _now_?" Joyce said, a hard edge in her voice.

David sighed and looked down, saying, "they're stuck...they're calling in some forensic experts from Portland. Some boats have been out around the point, looking to see...looking to see if they..."

He couldn't finish the sentence.

They all stood in silence, none of them sure what to say.

A few moments later, the doorbell rang and they all jumped, staring at the door.

Then the doorbell began ringing rapidly, over and over, and Joyce hurried to the door. She tugged it open and the ringing stopped; the porch and the yard were empty.

"What the hell?" Joyce said, looking from side to side.

"Who is it?" David said.

"No one," Joyce said, frowning at the empty yard. Then she looked down: a neat stack of envelopes sat on the doorstep. She knelt down and picked them up: four of them. Her brow furrowed; the paper felt...strange.

The top envelope had " _Joyce_ " scrawled on the front. The second had " _David_ " on the front followed by envelopes with Vanessa and Ryan's names in neater script.

Joyce walked back into the house and held out the envelopes to the others.

"What are these?" Ryan said.

"I don't know," Joyce said, "they were on the doorstep. David, were these there when you got here?"

"No," David said, taking the envelope with his name on it, "I would've seen them."

Joyce carefully opened her envelope as the others did the same. She pulled out a folded sheet of the same curious paper. She opened it and gasped: at the top was today's date. And below, two different styles of familiar writing filled the page:

> **_Hi Mom,_** **Hi Joyce,**
> 
> **_So, first off, Max and I are totally okay. So you can stop freaking out. Our mangled bodies aren't at the bottom of the bay or anything._ **
> 
> **That's a little morbid, Chloe.**
> 
> **_It's okay, she can handle it. You're hella badass, right Mom? Anyways, you're probably wondering where the fuck we are and...um...Max?_ **
> 
> **Don't look at me; I barely know any more than you do.**
> 
> **_So yeah...I guess we're on another plane of existence or some shit. It's actually pretty fucking awesome._ **
> 
> **And we're really sorry we couldn't tell you that this might happen...everything happened so quickly. This is Max, by the way.**
> 
> **_Never change, Max. But yeah, Max isn't kidding. Everything happened really fucking fast. And, full disclosure, Max has had the power to rewind time for the past couple weeks. She saved my life, like, so many times. Some pretty crazy shit went down._ **
> 
> **Chloe, I'm not sure Joyce is going to believe that yet.**
> 
> **_Er...I think everything we're saying is going on this message_ ** **.**
> 
> **Oh, right. Um.**
> 
> **_Anyways, the important thing is that we're okay and, actually, we've kinda got your back. Wherever the hell we are now...shit, whatever the hell we are now, it comes with some perks...like snaring bad guys and stopping bad shit from happening._ **
> 
> **Speaking of which, we'll be putting some directions in David's letter to lead him to evidence of more of Prescott's crimes.**
> 
> **_Yeah, we know how to really nail that fucker completely._ **
> 
> **And as we figure out more about...um...what we've become, I think we'll find more ways to help out.**
> 
> **_And we'll keep in touch through letters like this. And at some point, I think we'll figure out how we can, you know, actually visit in person. Right, Max?_ **
> 
> **I think so...at least one of our...predecessors seems to have figured out how to do it. And if he figured it out, I know we can too.**
> 
> **_So yeah...stay hella classy, Mom, and we'll drop by when we finally figure out how. Until then, we're going to hang out in this sick ass home we've created for ourselves. Seriously awesome digs. And we're, like, conjuring and eating so much good food...almost as good as the Two Whales._ **
> 
> **Almost.**
> 
> **_Although...Max, do we actually need to eat?_ **
> 
> **No idea. I like food though.**
> 
> **_I really really like food...let's keep doing it_ ** **.**
> 
> **Agreed.**
> 
> **_Oh, and the sex is amazing._ **
> 
> **Chloe!**
> 
> **_What? I want her to know that we're all good up here._ **
> 
> **Please don't say that in the messages to my parents; save it until the next one at least.**
> 
> **_Okay fine. Oh, and Mom, if you see some crazy-ass supernatural pranks from time to time, you'll know who to blame._ **
> 
> **Joyce, I promise I will keep Chloe from going completely nuts with this.**
> 
> **_And mom, I promise I'll keep Max from making this too boring_ ** **.**
> 
> **I'm on board with a few pranks...a few.**
> 
> **_Awesomesauce. Okay Mom, we're going to crank out some messages to David and Max's parents and...um...a bunch of other people too. I promise we're fine and we'll visit as soon as we can. So don't turn my room into a lame guest room or something. And...um...just to prove that we're actually still around...Max, we gonna to do that thing?_ **
> 
> **Hell yeah...I just figured it out and I totally want to show off.**
> 
> **_Okay, after you've all finished reading this sweet magic mail, go outside and look up. We're going to blow your pants off...er...socks. Let's go with socks._ **
> 
> **Bye for now, Joyce. I love you!**
> 
> **_Love you, mom. I promise you'll see us soon._ **
> 
> **Max** **_Chloe_**

Joyce's hand trembled as she held the letter. She glanced up to see David staring at his letter; he seemed to be re-reading a set of lines over and over. Vanessa and Ryan both had wide eyes, still staring at theirs.

Joyce wasn't sure what to say. Vanessa and Ryan both looked up from their letters and then at each other.

Ryan opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again before saying, "Max and Chloe are dating?"

" _That's_ what you got out of that?" Vanessa said, smacking Ryan's shoulder with her letter.

"I think...I think my brain is still trying to catch up with the rest of it," Ryan said, his brow furrowed, "it...none of this could possibly be true, right?"

"It seems...completely impossible," Vanessa said, "but the alternative is…"

She didn't have to finish her sentence.

Joyce stood up and the others stared.

"Did yours say to go outside and look up?" Joyce said, her voice weak.

The others nodded.

"Well then, let's go," Joyce said, starting towards the door.

Several moments passed before the others stood and followed. They found Joyce on the front lawn staring up at the sky, a smile on her face.

Vanessa stepped outside, looked up, and gasped.

Ryan looked up and said, "whoa."

David stared at the sky with his mouth open.

Above the town, clouds swirled and twisted together in a wide, impossible spiral of blue and pink, glowing from the bright sunlight above it.

**. . . . .**

Outside of the Blackwell dorm, Kate, Warren, and Brooke all stared up into the sky, wide-eyed and with letters of their own held at their sides. Dana and Juliet rushed out and joined them.

"That's...just...wow," Dana said.

The others nodded.

Inside the dorm, Victoria peered through her window, a letter clutched in her hand.

She smiled and wiped a tear from her eye.

**. . . . .**

In front of Blackwell's main building, Ms. Grant sat on the steps, holding a letter to her heart as she stared at the clouds.

On the lawn nearby, Daniel sat against a tree, a letter sitting beside him on the grass. He sketched rapidly, his eyes darting between the sky above and the sketchbook in his lap.

Steps away, Alyssa dropped her letter to the ground as she stared, open-mouthed, at the sky above.

And in the parking lot, Principal Wells looked up from the letter that had been tucked beneath his windshield wiper, his eyes wide with disbelief.

**. . . . .**

Behind the Two Whales diner, the homeless woman stared up with a smile at the clouds above, carefully folding a letter a putting it into her pocket.

**. . . . .**

By the beach, Frank stepped out of his RV and Pompidou skittered out behind him, jumping and barking at the sky. Frank looked up.

"Well, I'll be damned," he said, chuckling.

**. . . . .**

And in another place, tethered to Arcadia Bay by means that they still couldn't quite comprehend, two souls laughed as they wove clouds and bent light above the town below.

Chloe turned to Max.

"Dude, did you see Wells' face?" she said.

Max chuckled and said, "yeah...pretty classic...and I can't believe we made Victoria cry."

"I can," Chloe said, "what you said...er... _wrote_ to her was really sweet. I'm...glad we did this...sending all those letters."

"Yeah...after you suggested sending messages to our parents, I just couldn't imagine not sending letters to all of the others too," Max said.

They both smiled, watching as more people gathered below together to stare up.

"So," Max said, "now that we've figured out how to deliver magic mail and do awesome things with clouds, what's next?"

"I'm thinking we tie more bad guys up in branches," Chloe said, grinning.

"That seems to be _your_ specialty, Chloe," Max said with a smile.

"Dude...it was so hella fun...and hilarious as shit," Chloe said, "almost as funny as you plopping those goons in the trees."

"I'll admit...that was pretty fun," Max said, "I do hope David or the cops find that second one soon."

"He's fine," Chloe said, "instead of sending him more sandwiches, you should just put him on the ground and I'll wrap him up in branches...nice present for the fuzz."

Max chuckled and said, "and what are you going to do when we're all out of goons to harass?"

Chloe laughed and said, "Oh, I _fully_ intend on going full prank on _any_ assholes down there."

"The divine wrath of Chloe?" Max said.

"Holy shit _yes_ ; that's amazing...we should make cards with that written on them: a calling card to remind douchebags who's watching. Ooh, we'll need some Divine Wrath of Max ones too."

Max snorted.

"You _know_ that my divine wrath would usually come in the form of a polite and carefully-worded note," Max said.

"Yeah, but you could pop that note _anywhere_ ," Chloe said, "under a pillow...in a cereal box...in a pair of underwear...that the subject is wearing."

"Oh yes, the possibilities are endless, aren't they?" Max said, smiling, "but that being said, I definitely want to work on...um...manifesting ourselves down there. I have the feeling that our parents...and everyone else...will keep worrying until they actually _see_ us."

"Yeah, you're right. So _after_ we drop in on mom and David and crash parties and shit...what then?" Chloe said.

"Not sure...I just know that there's more out here to explore than we ever could've imagined. And we'll be exploring all of it together," Max said, snuggling close to Chloe.

"And we're _literally_ together for eternity now," Chloe said, sighing contentedly.

"Max and Chloe, forever," Max said, smiling.

"Max and Chloe, forever," Chloe said, wrapping Max in a tight embrace.

Below, the spiral of clouds faded away, bathing Arcadia Bay in bright sunlight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Thank you so much for reading this and I hope you enjoyed it! Writing Life is Strange stuff has been a blast and it's what has finally got me into writing again (I'd been having false starts for years)...so while I'm going to go off and write other stuff for a while, I do have a couple of ideas for tiny stories that follow up on the first ending for this story (the first ending has a lot more opportunity for further adventures)...so I may write one or more of those in the future. And I may come back to write other longer Life is Strange stories (either related to the ones I already wrote or not) if the ideas are compelling enough.


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